


Nothing's Gonna Hurt You, Baby

by Justaidenwrites



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: A/B/O, Almost Gang Rape, Alpha Sawamura Daichi, Angst, Drug Use, Fluff, Found Family, Gang AU, M/M, Omega Oikawa, Omegaverse, Violence, Yakuza AU, backstories, exotic dancer Yababa, exotic dancer suga, gun use, mentions of past rape, non sexual intimacy, platonic intimacy, prostitute oikawa, very close friendship, yakuza boss daichi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-04-05 03:36:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 52,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14035326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justaidenwrites/pseuds/Justaidenwrites
Summary: Oikawa Tooru is an omega who has been through a lot; His fiesty attitute and unwavering stubbornness could quite possibly be the only reason he has survived to this point in his life.Sawamura Daichi is oyabun of the syndicate that currently rules Tokyo. He is seen as a strong, ruthless, alpha killer who will destroy anybody who crosses is path. Only he - and possibly those closest to him - know the truth of who Sawamura really is.





	1. Pretty Little Thing

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story that I've been working on for quite a while, and, with the help of a few friends, finally managed to complete the first chapter. 
> 
> I'm just letting you guys know now that not everything that is going to be in this fic will be tagged. If I tag every single little plot point, there will be far too many tags, and everything will be spoiled. So I chose to just tag the most important parts of the fic. 
> 
> The title of the fic comes from the song of the same name by Cigarettes After Sex.

Chapter one: Pretty Little Thing

 

Oikawa Tooru does his job well. 

That's not to say that he enjoys it, but he always makes sure to leave each customer satisfied with his services at the end of the night. 

This night in particular starts out just like any other. He spends a few hours prowling around the streets of Tokyo, searching for someone who looks to be in need of his 'assistance'. 

He always makes sure to wear some of his skimpiest clothes; tonight, it's a pair of jean shorts that hug his body just right and a tight blue tank-top, one that rides up any time Oikawa so much as moves his shoulders. He gets a few catcalls from drunk alpha's and their friends, but always makes a point to ignore them. It's obvious to him that they wouldn't be paying him for whatever it was they had in mind for the evening. 

Besides, Oikawa makes it a rule that he doesn't do groups. 

Oikawa has many rules for himself, rules that he makes sure to abide by every time he takes to the streets. 

It's important for him to establish these rules; as a sex worker who works alone on the streets, with no pimp or madame, Oikawa knows that he is at risk. So he has rules, barriers to keep himself safe. 

Of course, some of them are just basic logic; He doesn't let anybody find out where he lives, whether he thinks they're trustworthy or otherwise. He also makes sure that all of his customers use a condom, no matter how sincerely they promise when they tell him that they're clean. Even when it's something as simple as a handjob.

It's not just because of the possibility of getting a disease; He also really hates the mess. 

He may be a prostitute, but he has an image to uphold; He can't let random guys get their fluids all over him and his clothes whenever they want; the scent of an alpha on him when he works would be bad for business. 

Once again, Oikawa doesn't do groups. 'Why?', You might be wondering. 'Wouldn't you get more money?' 

Yes, he would. And yes, Oikawa only does this job because he's desperate to be able to pay his monthly bills, but that's doesn't mean he wants to put himself at more risk than necessary. 

Even being around an group of unbonded alpha's is dangerous for an omega like him. He's not stupid; He knows that, even though he is a past athlete, his body does not have enough strength to defend himself against one enraged alpha, much less multiple. If anything were to happen and they were to lash out at him, he knew he probably wouldn't make it out alive. 

So Oikawa has rules. He does everything he can to keep himself safe on the job, but that doesn't mean it always goes as planned.

Such as now; Oikawa has shown up at the apartment building of one of his new clients, having gotten an email to his "business email" while strolling around the city. He had met the man a few weeks earlier in a club, where Oikawa had gone to see his friend for moral support on his first show. The guy was wealthy, that much was obvious, with his rollex watch and crisp black suit and perfectly styled hair. Oikawa had flirted back shamelessly, despite having no interest in the alpha, not surprised in the slightest when he was given the alpha's business card and a promise to get an email from him soon. 

Oikawa is shocked by the level of security he faces when he enteres the mans building, multiple bodyguards approaching him and demanding to hand over any weapons. Of course, Oikawa doesn't have any weapons; Would he even be able to hide anything under this outfit? He doubts it. 

Once he is checked for any possibly dangerous weapons, Oikawa is ushered into the elevator, two bodyguards standing on either side of him as the doors close and they rise toward the top floor. 

When the elevator doors open, the bodygaurds lead Oikawa down a long hallway, stopping at one of the last doors on the right and knocking sharply. It's only a few moment's before the door opens, revealing Oikawa's client for the night. 

Oikawa makes sure to scan the apartment with his eyes before he approaches the open door, eyes widening when he notices the group of other alpha's inside. Oikawa can tell by their relaxed statures as they lounged sround the apartment that they were not there as bodyguards, but as the clients buddies.

"I apologize," Oikawa told the client, stepping back just slightly. "I don't do groups. I believe I mentioned that to you-" 

the bodyguards on either side of Oikawa suddenly grab him roughly by the arms, shoving him through the doorway. Oikawa shrieks in surprise, struggling against their strong hands. When a hand comes up to cover his mouth, Oikawa bites at it, fighting the urge to smirk when he breaks skin and blood begins to fall from the wound he just left on the gaurd who tried to muffle his noises. 

The client grabs Oikawa by the jaw, careful to keep an eye on the omega's sharp teeth. 

"Don't struggle, baby," The alpha tells him, a sickening smile growing on his face. "If your a good little omega, maybe we'll let you off with no more than a few bruises." 

The alpha seems to expect Oikawa to give in, eyes widening when the omega snarls and snaps at him instead. Oikawa is met with a harsh slap to his cheek, before burying his fingers into his hair and forcing his head up and back. 

"Don't even think about it, bitch." The alpha growls as Oikawa whimpers from the pain in his scalp. By the curls of his brown hair, the client picks Oikawa up and throws him on the ground of the apartment, right in the middle of his buddies relaxing on the couches. 

Oikawa feels a sharp pain in his knee when he lands on the hardwood floor, crying out. The lead alpha approaches him with a predatory grin, kneeling in front of him and reaching for the button of Oikawa's shorts. The omega lashes out in a mix of fear and adrenaline, kicking at the alpha with the leg that isn't hurt, knocking him flat on his ass. Then there are more hands, grabbing at him, holding him down and tugging at his clothes as the door of the apartment is slammed shut. 

"No!" Oikawa cries, struggling against strong hands. "Let me go!" The leader stands up, predatory smile turned enraged. He steps up to Oikawa again, and the omega has to stifle a sob when his foot meets Oikawa's ribcage in a harsh kick. The alpha then stands up straight, adjusts his suit, and smiles. 

"You guys each take a turn first." He demands his companions. "I don't want to have to deal with this cunt again while he's still conscious enough to put up a fight." 

The leader turns away, and the hands of the alpha's are still moving, pulling at his clothes. 

Oikawa can't help it; He starts to cry. It comes from a mix of the pain in his knee and ribs, and from the fear of what's about to happen to him. He knows there's no way to stop it now, no way to fight back when one of the alpha approaches him with a needle in hand. Oikawa still struggles, still fights back as the alpha inserts the needle into his neck right above his scent glands, and it's then that Oikawa realizes exactly what they were injecting him with. 

It's a fucking heat inducer. 

Oikawa wails, tears streaming hot down his cheeks as he struggles harder against the hands. It isn't long until the inducer kicks in, the feeling of slick sliding down his thighs and his mind growing fuzzy. By that point, his shirt and shorts have been stripped off him, and those hands are still on him, scratching at him and leaving marks. One of the alpha's is spreading his legs open and climbing in between them, and Oikawa hiccups a sob when hands start grabbing at his length, growing hard from the heat inducers despite him having no real attraction to these men, no desire to partake in what they have in mind for him. 

Before anything can get any further, there is the sound of shattering glass, and the alpha in between his legs fall's forward and on top of him. Oikawa stares in shock, eyes widening when he notices a trail of blood leaking through the mans hair. 

They all stare in shock at the body for a moment before the door slams open, and a man with dark hair runs into the room, followed behind by another, slightly shorter, body covered in muscles. Oikawa stares, head swimming when he sees the guns in each of their hands, as the first man growls into an earpiece. 

"You were supposed to get their leader, you dumb fuck!" He yells, and Oikawa cries out at the harshness of the noise. "No, I don't care if you're protecting the omega! He's not our job!" 

Oikawa sits there, still crying, body still thrumming with the sensations of his induced heat setting in as the two new people in the apartment take out the leader and the other alpha's around the room, shrieking when another one of them lands on him. He doesn't really understand what is happening. 

Who are these men? What are they doing here? How did they get into the building? Who shot through the window?

By the time all of the alpha's around him have fallen to the ground in pools of their own blood, Oikawa his shaking, his mind too fuzzy from the inducer to even be able to think clearly, to even try to cover himself back up with the clothes lying only a few feet away. 

A shadow appears over him, and a man comes into sight, though Oikawa isn't really seeing him. The alpha kneels in front of him, and Oikawa whines, trying to hold back the desire to crawl towards the man and beg for him. He hates the feeling, hates the need and desire for an alpha; He doesn't even know this man. Hell, he just saw him and his green eyed companions kill without even batting an eye, for fuck sake. 

"Hey," A deep, gentle voice breaks through the fog of Oikawa's mind, and Oikawa can't help the whine he emits when he catches the alpha's scent, so soothing and reassuring despite the fear Oikawa feels. There's a hand at his chin, gentle in a way that Oikawa didn't expect, tilting his head upwards to meet the alpha's gaze. 

He meets brown eyes, gentle, deep brown eyes that remind Oikawa so much of melted dark chocolate. He briefly runs his face over the features of the man, strait nose, plump lips, short dark hair and tan smooth skin. The alpha is definitely attractive, his eyes staring at Oikawa in a way that just makes Oikawa want to melt. 

"Hey, are you okay?" The alpha asks him. "Can you stand up?" Oikawa's mind doesn't even really register that the alpha is talking to him until the green eyed companion shows up behind him, brows furrowed and mouth set into what appears to be a permanent scowl. 

"Boss, we gotta go." Green eyes seems to be in the middle of reloading his handgun as he speaks. "Just leave him here; Whatever happens to him isn't our business." 

There's a low growl from brown eyes, and Oikawa whimpers, head falling in a show of submission. Instantly, Oikawa feels the urge to curse at himself. He's never been submissive like this, never responded this way to an alpha before. 

Fucking heat inducers. 

"I'm not leaving him here." Brown eyes growls at his companion, and Oikawa shudders. "I don't care of it's not our business; I refuse to leave an omega alone like this." 

There's a sigh from green eyes, some shuffling around, and then brown eyes is leaning closer and pushing the corpses away from Oikawa. A towl is draped over him, and the drips of blood on his chest and shoulders are being wiped away. 

"Where are your clothes?" brown eyes asks, but Oikawa doesn't hear him, too busy staring into the dead eyes of the corpse lying at his feet. There's more noises, things Oikawa can't make out through the fog in his brain, and then the towel is being removed and a sheet is taking it's place, covering up his naked body. 

"I'm going to pick you up, okay?" brown eyes' voice is gentle, just like his eyes, just like his hands as he wraps his arms around Oikawa; one around his waist, the other sliding underneath his legs, adjusting when Oikawa's winces from the pain in his knee, before lifting him off the hardwood floor. 

Oikawa can't help it when he nuzzles against the alpha. Oikawa's destressed, in an induced heat, and the scent brown eyes is giving off is just so soothing, something like freshly chopped wood and some sort of fruit that Oikawa couldn't currently identify. He just wanted to bathe in the alpha's scent, but simultaneously, he wanted to curl up in a corner and just cry his life away, wallowing in the terrible feeling of those hands that were on him barely minutes earlier. The smell of blood is rank in Oikawa's nose, and, to try to rid himself of it, the omega buries his face in the alpha's scent glands. 

There's a hitched breath and a murmured swear, and then Oikawa is being carried. He hears the sound of a door being opened and closed and then the scent of blood grows fainter. After an indeterminable amount of time - to Oikawa, he felt as though it could've been hours, or maybe only mere minutes - he's hit by a burst of cold air, causing Oikawa to shiver and cling to the alpha. Thankfully, it only lasts a few moments, and then Oikawa feels himself being placed down on something soft, here's muffled conversation, and then everything goes dark. 

\--

Daichi is sitting in his car, unable to keep his eyes off the brunet omega sleeping on the seat next to him. 

His cheek is already bruising from where Matou had slapped him, and Daichi knew that there would no doubt be countless bruises on the omega's body from where his Lackeys had grabbed at the poor brunet with their disgusting hands. 

Daichi had been completely unable to hold in the rage he felt when he first stepped into that apartment, when he saw those lowlife scum of Matou's gang surrounding the omega, tugging at him and scratching at his body as if he was theirs to mark. He had killed Matou with more rage than he typically allowed himself to show, beating in the mans head with his baseball bat before shooting him multiple times just for the fun of it. 

Daichi just hopes that the omega had been too out of it to notice. 

"Boss," Iwaizumi speaks from the seat across from Daichi in the limo. "You know what you've just done, right? You can't just... grab some random omega that you don't know and bring him back to the estate! For fuck sake, he could be anybody!"

Daichi fights the urge to growl at his right hand man; Usually, Daichi is calm. Usually he is in complete control of his emotions. Why is it that now, just by seeing this omega in such a state, is it that Daichi acts this way?

"Don't you think I'm aware of that, Hajime?" Daichi sighs, running a hand through his short dark hair. "I just... I saw him there, like that, with their hands all over him, and I lost it. I can't let that happen to another innocent omega, okay?" 

Iwaizumi sighs, but nods in understanding. 

Iwaizumi knows Daichi better than anybody else, perhaps better than Daichi even knows himself. He was there when Daichi's life was torn apart by the leader of the Nagano syndicate, was there for him through those months of depression and alcoholism and the complete, utter rage he let himself bask in during each of his kills. 

He isn't going to pry Daichi to talk about it. 

"What are we going to do with him?" Iwaizumi questions, staring down at the omega curled up next to Daichi. He had fallen asleep nearly the moment they had placed him in the car. 

Daichi glances down at the omega, feels the urge to pet through his soft-looking brown hair. He recalls the way the omega had looked at him in Matou's apartment, with tear-filled brown eyes and a desperation he doubted the omega was even aware of. He remembers the way the omega's body shook each time he heard the firing of a gun, the startled cries that gave way to more sobs as the bodies of those disgusting alpha's landed around him. 

Fuck, He was way to innocent to be dragged into this. 

But there is no way Daichi would repeat the same mistake twice. 

"We're going to take him back to the estate and set him up in one of the guest rooms, have Akaashi check him over; He's a good doctor, and I don't want an unbonded alpha like Kuroo going near him." 

Iwaizumi nodded. "What if he wakes up before the suppressors wear off? Do you really want there to be an omega in mid-heat begging for any alpha in the vicinity to knot him? The men around the estate will go crazy."

Daichi thought for a moment. 

"Send the alphas home for the night; Tell them they'll still get paid, and they should go easily. We have enough betas left over to protect the place for the night if anything happens." Daichi let his eyes roam over the omega's body again. "And if he wakes up... Will you allow Suga to take care of him?" 

Iwaizumi's eyes widen for a mere moment, his shoulders stiffening just slightly before he relaxes back against his seat. 

"You want my omega to take care of him? Why can't you do it?" 

Daichi gives Iwaizumi an incredulous look. "You know why, Hajime." He turns his gaze out the window, not wanting to meet his right hand's piercing eyes. The city of Tokyo flies by around them in blurs of lights and colours, bringing back too many memories He would rather just forget. "You know I haven't touched another omega that way since..." 

Iwaizumi sighs again, but nods. "Of course, Boss. I'll call Koushi right now." 

Sugawara Koushi, Iwaizumi's mate; They've been together for a few years and are nothing if not completely in love and loyal to each other. But Iwaizumi understands; knows that the presence of another omega can be very soothing when one is destressed or in heat. 

 

By the time they reach the estate, Iwaizumi had already called to make sure everything was in order. As they drive through the front gates, they are greeted with respectful bows from the guards who stand on either side. The car parks, and Daichi and Iwaizumi step out, Daichi making sure to pick up the brunet omega into his arms once again. Upon entrance to the large mansion that Daichi calls his home, a small, silver haired form runs at them and engulfs Iwaizum in his arms. 

Iwaizumi stumbles back just slightly, but he's smiling as he wraps his arms around his mate. 

"Koushi, hey." Iwaizumi greets, chuckling as he tilts his head to press his lips to the silver haired mans cheek. "I'm sorry we're late; Boss decided to play hero tonight." 

Suga is letting out happy little purring noises as he noses at his alpha's scent glands. "It's okay; I'm just glad you're back!" He scatters tiny kisses over Iwaizumi's face. "Did you have fun gunning down bad guys without me?" 

Iwaizumi grins. "Aww, baby; You know doing jobs is never fun without you there!" 

Daichi is watching the scene with a silly little smile on his face, thinking about how, before he and Suga got together, Daichi had never seen Iwaizumi be so soft and loving with anybody. Daichi has to remind himself that Suga isn't exactly a saint; He can't even count on his fingers how many times he's seen Suga standing over a dead body, gun in hand, an almost psychotic grin on his typically gorgeous face. 

After several moments of their sickeningly sweet interactions, Suga turns to Daichi and peers at the brunet in his arms, stepping towards him. 

"Oh, what happened to him?" Suga asks in a soft voice, lifting a hand to run a finger over the brunets bruised cheek, He catches a whiff of the pheremones being released by Oikawa's heat, and wrinkles his nose. "Did they inject the poor boy with heat inducers? Fucking assholes; they have no tact." 

Daichi fights the urge to snort. "Do you mind helping to look after him? I have Akaashi coming by soon to check on his injuries, but I don't know if the inducers will wear off before he wakes up or not." 

Suga nods, still caressing at the brunets cheek. "Of course I'll help," Suga's voice is soft as he speaks, sympathetic. "He's such a pretty thing; I wonder what he was doing with someone like Matou." 

Daichi shrugs. "I don't know. But, by what he was wearing, I think I have an idea." 

Suga gives him a look at that, but doesn't say any more on the subject. 

"How about we get him to a spare room; He can take the one with a bathroom on the third floor, right? It'll make it easier for me to clean him up." Daichi nods, and Suga smiles a bit sadly. They make their way through the house, Iwaizumi following close behind. 

"Did he see you guys actually kill anybody?" Suga asks once they make it to the bedroom. "I know most people don't take well to that, so I don't know how he'll react if he sees you when he wakes up." 

Daichi moves to place the brunet on the bed, careful as he pulls away the blood, slick, and sweat covered sheet. He reveals his bare body and stares at the omega's badly bruised skin; His ribs and one of his knees are covered in many different colours, which look almost like galaxies on his pale skin. Then he pulls the blanket from the end of the bed up over him, stepping back afterwards. 

"I'm not sure; They had already injected him before we entered, so I don't know exactly how conscious he was; He didn't even seem to be seeing me when I was right in front of him. He just cried and whimpered until he passed out." Daichi sighs. "I'm gonna go," He tells Suga. "Just keep an eye on him, please." Suga nods, and Daichi and Iwaizumi step out of the room.

\--

Suga does as asked and sits in the spare bedroom with the omega, keeping an eye on him in case he wakes up. Suga has always been curious about things; Especially now, when he sees this pretty brunet omega sleeping before him. 

No matter now long Suga has known Daichi, he's always been a bit of a mystery. Even during happier times, there's always been something hidden in Daichi's deep brown eyes, something about him that just made him mysterious. Of course, with a job like Daichi's, being mysterious is a good thing. 

Being Oyabun of the largest syndicate of Yakuza in Tokyo isn't an easy job, and it's one that would be near impossible if you let just anybody know exactly what you were thinking at all times. 

It's good to be mysterious, but sometimes, Suga wonders. 

Roughly a half an hour after Iwaizumi and Daichi brought back the omega, Akaashi shows up to check up on him. It's late, almost three in the morning, and Akaashi grumbles about rude alphas who won't let anybody get any sleep as he checks over the omega. He murmurs about bruised ribs, maybe an old knee injury that had a reoccurrence from whatever had taken place in Matou's apartment. He doesn't tell Suga much, just wraps up the omega's injuries - careful not to jostle him too much or wake him up - and leaves. There's nothing they can do about the induced heat; They can only wait it out and hope the inducers wear off soon.

Once Akaashi is gone, Suga settles on the bed next to the other omega and sighs, preparing himself for a long night. 

\-- 

Oikawa wakes up to the feeling of searing heat coursing through him, his heart pounding hard in his chest as he shoots up, only registering at the pain in his ribs when they scream in protest of his movement. 

There are hands on his shoulders, and Oikaw flips out, suddenly remembering the feeling of alpha hands roughly pulling at his body, tugging at clothes. Oikawa shoves the hands away, nearly throws himself back against the wall in an attempt to get away from those grabby hands. 

A voice breaks through the fog, through the memories.

"Hey, hey. It's okay." The voice is soft, soothing, and those hands return, this time cupping his cheeks. The hands are small, soft and gentle as his head is lifted to meet brown eyes. 

Brown eyes. 

Then Oikawa remembers the eyes of the man who saved him, those deep swirls of chocolate brown, framed by thick eyebrows and a soft expression. 

But no, this isn't the same man. This man is pale, with soft looking silver hair, the outside corner of his left eye dotted with a pretty little beauty mark. And his smell; It's so distinctly omega, so sweet and calming and Okawa can't help but let himself relax, if only just slightly. 

"You're okay," The omega soothes, letting out comforting little crooning noises. Oikawa calms a bit, but he can't help the whine that escapes him as the heat inducers continue to ravage his body. "I know you must be confused. Do you remember anything from last night?" 

The memories return, and Oikawa begins to hyperventilate. "I- I don't-"

"Shh, shh. It's okay. Just try to take one breath at a time." The omega keeps crooning, keeps soothing Oikawa with his scent and soft hands carressing at his cheeks until the brunet calms, until his breath is even enough that he feels like he can actually talk. Oikawa looks down at his body; He's naked, accept for a thin blanket, and his ribs and his injured knee are both wrapped tight in bandages. 

"I- I remember hands. I- Alpha's all around me, grabbing at my clothes. Then... Then there was blood." Oikawa's mind feels fuzzy as he tries to think back to the night before. It's probably the heat inducers he has to blame for that. "One- One of them was shot. Th-Through the window I think? Then they all fell- They all died. And... Then there was brown eyes. Really nice brown eyes."

Oikawa's head shoots up to look at the stranger. "Where- Where is he? The brown eyed alpha? He saved me. He- I need to thank him." The omega seems a bit shocked by that, but smiles reassuringly. 

"You can thank him later," He assures. "It's not a good idea for you to be moving around a whole lot right now." 

Oikawa remembers the injuries; His knee, his ribs. Then he sighs, slumps his shoulders, and looks around the room. The heat inducers are still affecting him, still muddling his mind and making him a mess of need and desire, but he finds that it's nowhere near as bad as it was when he was at the apartment. He figures that it's probably already morning, that the inducers have worn off a bit. 

"Where am I?" Oikawa asks. He's in what appears to be a large bedroom, with carpeted floors and a soft grey colour scheme. Across from the bed he and the other omega are on, there is a door which - Oikawa assumes - leads out of the room, on the other wall, another two doors, maybe leading to a closet and a bathroom. "Why did- Why did they save me? Who are you?" 

The pretty omega settles down on the mattress with his legs crossed in front of him, and Oikawa relaxes a bit now that the omega is no longer crowding in his space. 

"I don't know how much I'm allowed to tell you." He admits, shrugging, "It's really all up to Dai and Hajime." 

Oikawa raises an eyebrow, confused. Who are Dai and Hajime? Maybe they're the men who saved him. 

"Well," The omega sighs, "Since Dai brought you here, I guess it's okay for me to tell you some stuff." He pauses for a moment, thinking, "I'm Suga. The men who saved you are Daichi and Hajime. I can't tell you our full names yet; I don't know how they'd feel about that." 

Oikawa nods in understanding; It makes sense. Considering the fact that Oikawa witnessed the two murdering people the night before, he doubts they would want him to know their names. 

Oikawa still isn't sure how he feels about that. He's seen his fair share of messed up stuff. But murder? Definitely not something he's ever seen before. The man had seemed so kind, his eyes so sweet and his hands so gentle. 

But those are murderers hands, Oikawa reminds himself. 

"Which..." Oikawa has to pause for a moment. "Which one is Brown eyes?" 

Suga smiles. "That's Daichi. Hajime, the other one, is my mate." He sighs almost dreemily. "Maybe you didn't notice, but he has really pretty green eyes. Like Emeralds." 

Oikawa had noticed, and agrees that they were very pretty; However, he thinks he preferred those chocolaty brown eyes much more.

And also,

"Your mate is terrifying." Oikawa admits, remembering the rage in his voice and expression as he killed those men. "He told Daichi to leave me there."

Suga snorts. "Yeah, he's a little bit scary somtimes. But he's a good alpha. Hajime is just very serious about his job." 

Oikawa perks up at the opportunity to get more information. "What's his job?" Oikawa knows the answer is going to have something to do with murder, but he can't help wanting to know specifics. 

"I can't tell you that." Suga sighs and shakes his head, slim shoulders slumping. "All I can say is that... He guards Daichi, makes sure nothing happens to him."

He must be pretty damn important to have a bodyguard, Oikawa decides.

Or maybe he's just really damn rich. 

"So, what's your name?" Suga asks him curiously, tilting his head in a way that reminded Oikawa too much of a cat.

Oikawa is tentative to tell the omega his real name; he still doesn't know who these people are. It doesn't matter how soothing it was to be around suga right now, or how nice they seem.

He can't trust them. 

Suga seems to see the hesitation in his eyes and rests a hand on the calf of Oikawa's oustretched injured leg. 

"Listen, I know this is all scary and weird for you, but I promise you can trust me." His eyes are sincere as he speaks, nothing in his expression showing any ill intentions. "I know what happened to you with Matou was awful, I know you're terrified and-" Suga sighs, though it comes out a bit rough, and the omega turns his gaze away for moment. When his gaze meets Oikawa's once more, there's something new in his eyes, something that makes him look just as terrified and dirtied as Oikawa feels. "You can trust me," Suga promises. 

Oikawa can't deny the understanding he sees in Suga's eyes, can't help wondering what has the other omega looking so pained. It's as if he's remembering something terrible that had happened to him in the passed. 

"Oikawa," The brunet breaths out, staring down at where he's wringing his hands together. "Tooru." 

Suga seem's to relax, to sigh in relief when Oikawa decides to trust him enough to reveal his real name. "Oikawa Tooru," He murmurs, trying to get a feel for how it sounds coming out of his mouth. "It's nice, suits you." Oikawa lets himself smile a little bit at that, though it was still unsure. 

Oikawa and Suga spend the next however many hours just talking aimlessly, as though they actually know each other. Oikawa knows the other omega is just trying to keep him occupied, simply so his mind doesn't wander to what occured the night earlier. The sky - visible through the blinds on a window across the room - had lightened up considerably. When he had woken up, the sky was still a deep navy blue. Now, the sky was a mix of red's and oranges that were making way for the light blue colour that came with daytime. 

Oikawa is beginning to feel a lot better, physcially; The heat inducers are wearing off, and it seems as though the pain from his injuries are fading, if only a little. He still feels gross, though, feels the mess of slick dried between his thighs and fights off the urge to shudder at how gross it is. 

"Uhm... Do you mind if I shower?" Oikawa asks Suga a bit tentatively. "I feel really gross from last night, so..."

Suga nods and stands. "Of course! Do you want my help? It's probably going to be really hard to stand right now, and you'll have to take off and re-wrap the bandages." 

Oikawa shakes his head, but takes Suga's hand when it's offered. "No, uh. If you help me to the bathroom, I think I can take it from there?" 

Suga nods, understanding that after everything that happened last night, Oikawa probably wants a bit of privacy right now. 

Suga let's Oikawa lean on him as they walk to the bathroom, wraps an arm around him for support and marvels at how skinny the brunet is. His hips and collarbones are much more visible than they should be, and Suga knows that if it weren't for the bandages, he would probably be able to see his ribs, too. Suga ignores it though, figures that maybe Oikawa is just on some sort of fancy diet, and leads him into the bathroom. The lights are bright, and they hurt Oikawa's eyes, but he forces himself to smile gratefully when Suga helps him sit down on the edge of the bathtub. 

"There ya go," Suga smiles and straightens back up. "There's towels in the cupboard, and you can use whatever you need." He gestures to the bottles of hair product and bodywashes on the shelf. "I'll find you some clothes, and I'll leave them by the door." 

Oikawa nods and, as Suga leaves the room and closes the door, he begins to unwrap the bandage on his injured leg. As he does so, he can't help but stare, marvel at how swollen and bruised it is. He drops the bandage to the floor and trails a hand over the purple skin. 

Then, he's crying, lifting a hand to muffle his sobs as tears stream down his cheeks. He let's himself break, let's himself shake and cry as it hits him, the reality of what happened last night. He had almost been gang raped, for fuck sake, would probably have been murdered and tossed aside like trash afterwards, too. He'd been helpless, unable to defend himself as those men had grabbed at him, had touched him and defiled him. 

He can't believe, after everything he'd done to try and ensure his own safety, to keep himself from that exact type of situation, he had ended up falling right into such a trap. He had been too wound up in the prospect of getting money from some rich asshole, had been so caught up with the need to be able to pay his bills, that he had completely overlooked his own safety. And just that one time was all it took, and look at what had almost happened. 

Almost. 

Almost. 

He is so lucky that the alpha's hadn't been able to get any further, that they had been stopped, that he had been saved. That those two alphas, Daichi and Hajime, whoever they were, had stepped in. He's so lucky that Daichi, this man he's never met before last night, has such a kind soul, that he'd saved Oikawa. So many men would've just seen Oikawa as an opportunity, would've seen him, in his muddled and needy state, desperate for comfort and reassurance from an alpha. They would've taken advantage of Oikawa, but he hadn't. He'd helped him, hadn't even given his naked body a second look, just wrapped him up and took him away from those terrible, dead alphas that layed around them. 

Oikawa shakes his head to try to clear his thoughts, takes a deep breath and lifts a hand to try to wipe away his tears. He reminds himself that he doesn't know Daichi, doesn't know who this man is or what he does besides the fact that he's a fucking killer for christ sake. For all Oikawa knows, Daichi could have terrible intentions for Oikawa, could've taken Oikawa away, saved him from being raped, just to have him for himself later. 

But then Oikawa remembers those kind eyes, the way the alpha had carried him, so gentle and careful with the injured omega. 

Maybe Daichi wasn't a bad guy. Being a killer didn't automatically mean you were bad. 

Right?

Oikawa shakes himself, clears himself of those thoughts and moves to unwrap the bandages around his ribs. Without them holding his ribs in place, the pain is almost surreal, but Oikawa forces himself not to think about it, to focus on cleaning himself, of trying to rid himself of the feeling of those hands pressing bruises into his skin. 

Once the bandages are dropped to the floor, Oikawa turns the water on, and steps into the shower. He stands just outside of the reach of the water, careful to keep his weight off of his injured leg. Once the water is so hot that it begins to steam, he steps under the stream and sighs a bit pleasently at the feeling of the hot water coursing over his sore muscles. 

As Oikawa cleans himself, he struggles to keep his mind from drifting to thoughts of what happened last night. Instead, he reminds himself that he's been through worse. He traces over the faded scars along his hips and stomach and tells himself that this time, he was lucky. That this time could've been so much worse. He should be thankful to Daichi and Hajime that he made it out alive, that he shouldn't be wallowing in the memories. 

He should just be happy, just be relieved that he's safe. 

Well, as safe as he can be, in the house of a killer. 

As Oikawa washes his hair with strawberry scented shampoo, he forces his mind to focus on the future, instead of the past. He tries to remember what he has to do when he finally gets home, whenever that will be. He probably has a bunch of missed calls and texts from Yahaba, the caring little fucker. 

He's such a good kid. Oikawa's glad he has someone like him in his life. 

Then, Oikawa realizes that he doesn't have his phone. It must have gotten left at Matou's apartment, still in the pocket of his shorts. 

Fuck. 

Oikawa doesn't know how he was going to afford a new one, or what he's going to do without any of his contacts. He's gotten so used to having a cellphone that he never bothered to remember anybody's numbers. He can barely even remember his own, for fuck sake. 

Oikawa sighs, stifles the urge to slam his head against the shower wall. Instead, he finishes rinsing his hair. Then he moves onto his body, careful of his bruised skin and aching ribs as he latheres up with soap. He scowles when he has to clean the dried slick off of his thighs, hating the sickeningly sweet scent of it. Then he rinses off his body, shuts off the water, and steps out of the shower. 

Oikawa takes his time drying off with one of the soft blue towels Suga had directed him to earlier, careful as he dabs at the water droplets trailing down his bruised body. Then he sits back down on the edge of the tub, re-wraps his leg and ribs, and ties his towel around his waist. He steps up to the door, pulls it open just a crack and peaks out. He fonds that the room is empty, Suga nowhere in sight, and there's a little stack of neatly folded clothes sitting on the dresser just a few feet away. 

Oikawa steps into the room, scoops the clothing into his arms and takes a seat on the bed. Suga had brought him a pair of boxers, a large grey band shirt, and a pair of black sweats. Oikawa looks at the clothes, sees how big they are, and can tell right away that there's no way they belong to the omega. 

Despite better judgement, Oikawa lifts the shirt up to his nose and takes a whiff. He catches the faded scent of freshly chopped wood, paired with what Oikawa is now able to identify as apples.

Daichi, Oikawa realizes. 

These clothes belong to Daichi. 

Oikawa supposes it makes sense; Oikawa is tall, unlike Suga, so he doubts the omega's clothes would fit him. He might fit in Iwaizumi's clothes, since the man is so broad, but he knows that Suga probably wouldn't like the idea of some other omega wearing his alpha's scent. So, that just leaves Daichi. He's a bit shorter than Iwaizumi, but just as broad. And so far, it seems as though Daichi is unbonded, so there probably wouldn't be an omega out there wanting to kill Oikawa for wearing something that smelt like the brown eyed alpha. 

Still, Oikawa shouldn't feel happy at the prospect of wearing Daichi's clothes. 

Oikawa takes his time dressing, since his body is still sore. He's just pulling the large band shirt over his head when there's a knock at the door. 

"Uhm, yeah?" Oikawa curses himself mentally at how weak and unsure he sounds; He hasn't felt this way in so long, why is he letting himself be this way now of all times?

The door creaks open, and out of all people in the world, it's Daichi who steps into the room. 

Oikawa's breath hitches when he's met with the scent of chopped wood, apples. Daichi looks just as Oikawa remembered him from the night before. Broad, lots of muscles, kind brown eyes, thick thick brows and straight nose. There's a few scars along the right side of the alpha's jaw that Oikawa hadn't noticed before, and peaking out from under Daichi's rolled-up sleeves, tattoos that Oikawa recognizes, but can't place at this very moment. 

"Hey," Daichi greets as he steps into the room. He eyes Oikawa a bit curiously, concern evident in his eyes. "Suga said the inducers wore off, that it would be okay to come talk to you now." 

Oikawa nods. "Yeah. I think they're mostly out of my system." He funds it hard to meet the alpha's gaze; The man just radiates authority. It makes Oikawa feel the urge to bow his head and submit. 

Oikawa had never felt that way towards an alpha before. 

But, he had also never felt the strange pull before, the one he had felt towards Daichi the night before, the one he's still feeling right now. Last night, he was able to blame it on the inducers, but he couldn't deny that he was still feeling that strange urge to climb into the alpha's arms and never let go, to drown himself in that scent. 

Oikawa decides to ignore it, to write it off as the effect of the remaining hint of inducers still in his system, making him easily susceptible to the charms of an alpha. 

It's nothing more than that. 

"Well," Daichi speaks, looking almost awkward as he stands in the doorway. "Suga's making breakfast in the kitchen, if you want some." He holds open the door a bit wider. "We can talk once you get some food in you." 

"Okay," Oikawa nods and moves to stand, but then Daichi is there, holding out a hand as though he's trying to stop him. 

"I'll help," Daichi offers, holding a hand out to Oikawa. "You're leg is injured, yeah? I don't want you to be in pain." 

Something about that, about the genuine concern in Daichi's voice, ticks Oikawa off. Just a little bit. He has the odd desire to to ignore Daichi's offer, to stand up and walk on his own and prove that he's strong, that he can handle himself. 

He stands up on his own, forcing himself to hold back to wince that threatens to come out at the searing pain in his knee. 

"I'm fine," Oikawa assures with a forced smile. "It barely even hurts." 

Daichi frowns a bit at that, but nods. He seems to understand that Oikawa isn't so keen on relying on the help of some alpha he doesn't even know. 

Even if that alpha is super handsome, super kind, and has eyes and a scent that makes Oikawa want to drop his underwear the second the Daichi even gets close to him. 

Daichi leads Oikawa out of the room, and the omega does his best to take in his surroundings as they walk through the house, seemingly in the direction of the kitchen. They walk down a hallway, turn left, go down a flight of stairs, turn right, walk down a hallway, go down another flight of stairs-

Holy fuck.

How big is this fucking house??

Oikawa is slowly making his way down the second flight of stairs, one step at a time, leaning on the railing for support. His leg is throbbing, and Oikawa almost regrets not having accepted Daichi's help when the alpha turns around to look back at him, sees the brunet's leg shaking unsteadily as he makes his way down the stairs. 

"Do you need help?" Daichi asks, and there's a light smile on his face. He isn't teasing, or taunting. He's completely genuine in his concern for Oikawa. 

But the omega shakes his head, takes another shaky step. "I'm fine." He forces out. 

Daichi nods, doesn't pry, and waits patiently at the bottom of the stairs for Oikawa. Once he reaches the final step, Daichi turns and starts walking again, this time slower so that Oikawa can keep pace with him more easily. 

This guy is super considerate. 

"How big is your fucking house?" Oikawa huffs out. "Specifically, how many more flights of stairs do we have to go down before we reach the kitchen?" 

There's a snort, and Daichi turns his head and smiles at Oikawa, as if the omega'a annoyance at the size of his home is just the most amusing thing in the world to him. 

"It's just down the hall, now." Daichi explains, pointing at an open door at the end of the hallway, where Oikawa can hear conversation and soft laughter. Oikawa can't help the way he sighs in relief. 

When they enter the room, Oikawa is instantly met with the scent of freshly cooking bacon, and the sight of Suga and Hajime, his mate, the same alpha Oikawa had seen last night. 

Suga is seated on the counter, a cheesy little grin on his face. Hajime is standing between the omega's spread legs, and their murmuring lovingly together and sharing sweet kisses in between bites of toast and sips of coffee. 

Oikawa watches with interest; it really is a sight to see. Oikawa has to remind himself that Hajime, the alpha before him, is the same man he'd seen murdering gang members last night, the same man who had told Daichi to leave Oikawa there, alone, surrounded by dead alphas, simply because it wasn't their business. It was hard, because here he was, seeing this man smile brightly as he scatters kisses all over his lovers face, murmuring something sweetly that Oikawa can't quite catch. 

Then Daichi clears his throat, and Suga and Hajime both look over at the two standing in the doorway, their cheeks both heating up when they realize they were just caught in the middle of such an intimate moment. 

"Oh," Iwaizumi steps away from Suga with a little pout, walks over to the stove and checks on the bacon frying in the pan, flips the eggs afterwards. "Sorry, Boss." 

Daichi gives Iwaizumi a look for calling him that in front of Oikawa, but the brunet doesn't notice. He's too busy stumbling over to the table and taking a seat so he can rest his throbbing leg. Suga looks over at Oikawa with a concerned little crease in his brow. 

"Dai, did you really let the poor boy walk all the way down here without any help?" Suga hops off the counter, gives Daichi a little glare as he steps towards the freezer. He grabs a handful of ice, wraps it in a towel, and hands it to Oikawa. "Here, for your knee," He crosses his arms and takes a sear next to the brunet. "You're so rude, Dai." 

"He's the one who-" Suga cuts him off. 

"I don't care if he denied your help. He's your guest and it's your job to take care of him. You should've carried him down." 

Daichi sighs, turns and gives Hajime a pleading look. "Haji, can you please tell your angry cat of a mate to lay off?" Hajime snorts, but just shrugs his shoulders, as if to say, "Your problem, not mine." 

Daichi sighs, but knows not to pick a fight with Suga, especially in front of Oikawa. Even after all these years living with Daichi, the alpha is still weak when it comes to his fiesty best friend. 

Hajime continues cooking at the stove, and Daichi steps over to the coffee maker to pour himself a mug. He glances back at Oikawa, sees the brunet staring down at the wooden table, pressing ice to his knee and seemingly forcing himself to avoid Daichi's prying gaze. 

The alpha huffs. 

"Coffee?" The alpha asks, setting his own mug down on the counter after taking a sip. "Or tea?"

Oikawa looks up after a moment, realizing that Daichi is speaking to him. 

"Oh, uhm, coffee is fine." Daichi nods, smiles and moves to grab another mug and pour coffee into it from the pot. 

Daichi turns back to Oikawa. "Cream? Sugar?" 

Oikawa nods and moves to stand. "Yeah, but I can do that my-" Daichi stops him before he can get to his feet. 

"No way, you already walked all the way down here on that injured leg. I'll get it for you." Daichi places the coffee mug on the table in front of Oikawa, passing him the sugar, cream, and a spoon so that he can make his coffee to his liking. Once Oikawa is finished adding what appears to be three spoonfulls of sugar, and more cream than Daichi can fathom, he takes them back and returns them to their original places within his kitchen. 

"Thankyou, Daichi." Oikawa murmurs, before taking a sip of his now caramel coloured beverage. 

Daichi smiles. "No problem." 

Suga is watching the scene before him with a cheeky little smile on his face, and Iwaizumi is scowling just slightly as he turns off the stove and begins plating the food. Oikawa, on the other hand, is just sipping at his coffee happily, completely unaware of what's really going on. 

As oyabun of the Tokyo syndicate, it's common knowledge that Daichi doesn't do things for other people; He doesn't have to. People, instead, do things for him. People trip over their own feet to please him, to buy him things to his liking, to do anything to please him in order to hopefully get on his good side, maybe even get in his inner circle. 

But here Daichi is, catering to this outsider omega with a happy little smile on his face as he does so; He doesn't seem at all disgruntled by having to help somebody, even though two of his very capable subordinates are in the room, and even more are hiding - Daichi made it known that Oikawa was not to see any nefarious business while he was here - around the estate. Daichi is doing things for Oikawa, purely because he wants to. 

Which is a feat in itself, for Oikawa. He just doesn't know it. 

Instead, Oikawa is trying to figure out how to broach the subject of asking for a ride home; Without his phone, he doesn't have anybody he can call for a ride, so any chance of him getting home tonight relies completely on these three men before him. 

He's just about to ask when a plate of food is placed down on the table before him, and his brain freezes instantaneously. 

Because through everything that had occured in the last few hours, Oikawa had managed to forget just how hungry he is. He stares down at the plate of food before him - Bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, toast; The perfect western styke breakfast - and his stomach grumbles painfully, the emptyness in his stomach becoming very obvious. 

Because Oikawa dooesn't remember the last time he ate. 

What day was today.... Friday, maybe? He thinks that it's been a full day and a half since he ate, maybe two? He isn't quite sure. 

Oikawa doesn't each much; in order to save as much money as possible to pay his bills, Oikawa has to cut back on things he deems unnecessary; Such as eating multiple meals a day. Who needs that, really, to survive? Oikawa's been surviving on a meal every day or two just fine for years. Sure, he's skinnier than average. Sure, he doesn't have the strength he used to have when he was an athlete back in highschool, but he's surviving. 

Oikawa stares down at the food before him, doesn't realize there are three sets of eyes on him when he picks up his utensils and starts digging into his food like a starved man; He devours eggs and bacon and toast, only pauses on occasion to take a sip from his coffee. He eventually looks up, however, and sees that Daichi, Suga, and Iwaizumi, are all looking at me with odd little furrows in their brow. 

Oikawa swallows the bite of hashbrown in his mouth. places his fork down and slouches, suddenly feeling embarrassed that he had dug in so aggressively. His cheeks flush, and he stares down at the dark brown wood of the table, refusing to meet any of their eyes. 

Then there's a soft laugh, and Oikawa looks up to see that there's a teasing smile on Daichi's face. "You can have more if you want," The alpha tells him. "You don't have to wory about how much you eat when you're here." 

Oikawa's cheeks flush darker. "Oh, okay." 

Oikawa eats the rest of his meal more slowly, and despite how hungry he is, doesn't go for seconds. He just sits, waits. Daichi had said they wanted to talk with him about something. He didn't understand what they wanted to talk about, but Oikawa had a feeling that it wouldn't be a very happy topic. 

Predictably, it's Daichi who starts the conversation. 

"Ah... Oikawa... that's your name, right?" Oikawa nods. "Oikawa, okay. We-" He gestured to himself and Hajime. "-, as you might have noticed, last night..." He paused, seeming to look for the words to use. 

"Killed people." Hajime supplied for him with a shrug. 

"Yeah." Daichi huffed. "We killed a bunch of gang members from a small gang, run by Matou." When Oikawa nods in understanding, Daichi continues. "As much as we... wish to avoid telling outsiders about us, I don't think we really have a choice, here." He eyes Oikawa curiously, trying to read the omega, trying to gauge some sort of reaction from him. There's nothing; He just blinks, stares as he takes in Daichi's words. 

"We can't have you going to the police, or any authorities whatsoever." Daichi tells Oikawa. Despite the fact that the police are under Daichi's payroll, he wants to avoid the omega having a run in with them at all costs; He knows the police will either turn him in to other members of the syndicate for being a snitch, or will just kill him themselves and cover it up as an overdose or a murder or whatever else they come up with. Something about the thought of Oikawa dying enrages Daichi, just a little bit. 

But he isn't going to tell anybody that. 

"You also can't tell anybody about what happened. Our syndicate is very large, we have members all over the city. Anybody you know could be a member, and if you tell someone, and they find out, you'll be in danger." 

Then things start to make sense for Oikawa. 

How Daichi and Hajime had stepped in at the perfect time to save him, how they had such a nice house, the tattoos, how Hajime had called Daichi "Boss" earlier. 

"You're Yakuza." Oikawa murmurs, eyes wide as he stares at the three men before him. "All of you?" His gaze drifts to Suga, who's smiling a little big sheepishly. 

Oikawa can't believe this. He- he trusted Suga, told the omega his name, talked with Suga, got along with him. And then it just so happens that he's Yakuza, that he told Oikawa's name to Daichi, to his boss! Now they know who he is. He knows that now, it's dangerous to even be around these people. 

"I- I thought I was safe..." Oikawa begins to panic. "Suga- Suga you told me that I'm safe! That I can trust you, and-" Oikawa doesn't realize that he's hyperventilating as fear settles deep into his bones. "I- I'm no safer than I was with Matou! I- I can't-" 

Suga hops out of his seat, and is in front of Oikawa in a mere instant, hands raising to either side of the brunet's face. Oikawa flinches away, lifting his hands to shield himself in fear. "Don't- don't touch me- I-" 

Suga's hands settle on Oikawa's shoulders, and the brunet shakes. He can't breath he can't breathe he can't-

"Calm down," Suga speaks, voice soft. That soothing scent appears again; The one Suga had used to help calm him upstairs hours earlier. This time, it isn't helping. It isn't helping because Oikawa knows he can't trust Suga, knows he can't trust those hands or that scent or that smile or- 

"Oikawa, calm down." 

A voice cuts through his fear; deep and smooth. Oikawa can't stop his head from lowering and his shoulders from slumping when he hears the deep tone. 

Daichi. It's Daichi, and he's using Command. He's using Command, but that doesn't make sense- Command has never worked on Oikawa before. No alpha has ever been able to use it on him, but here he is, submitting mindlessly to Daichi. 

Oikawa's eyes squeeze shut when he hears the scraping of a chair, footsteps approaching. Suga is still standing in front of him, but he backs away from Oikawa as the alpha approaches. 

There's a hand on his head. Rough, calloused fingers digging just slighlty into his scalp. Oikawa lets out a light whimper, thinks Daichi is going to force his head lower. But then there's a soft petting motion, and he realizes that Daichi is running his fingers through Oikawa's hair, soothing him with gentle pets to the omega's head. 

"You're fine," Daichi tells Oikawa, voice firm, but not threatening as he speaks to Oikawa. He's still using Command, though now it isn't to force Oikawa to submit; Just to keep him calm. To keep him from working himself up into a panic again. "Suga wasn't lying when he said you're safe, when he said you can trust us." 

Oikawa has a hard time believing that, but he can't help being drawn in by Daichi's deep voice, being calmed by the feeling of his hand petting over him, the scent of chopped wood and apples taking over his senses. 

"I know this is scary," Daichi speaks into Oikawa's ear. "But we can protect you. We- No. I, will make sure that nobody can hurt you. Okay?" Oikawa nods, believing Daichi even though he's telling himself not to; His instincts tell him to trust Daichi, to trust that voice and that scent. But Oikawa knows that instincts aren't always right. Oikawa feels as though he has no control over his body when he leans against Daichi, when his head falls against Daichi's shoulder, his nose buried in the alpha's scent glands. 

Daichi seems startled by the motion, but he doesn't back away. He lets Oikawa lean on him, lets the omega draw in his scent, lets Oikawa use it to calm himself. 

Oikawa wants to be mad. Really, he wants to be enraged at Daichi, at this alpha he doesnt even know, for using Command on him like this, for forcing him into this state of submission that no one else ever has been able to. At this Yakuza Boss, of all things. But he can't be, not when Daichi's hand his slipping from his hair, resting at the base of his neck and slowly, slowly trailing down his back along his spine. Because then Oikawa is purring. Purring and cursing at himself mentally for enjoying the alpha's touch, for not being strong enough - maybe not even wanting - to push Daichi away. 

Neither of the two realize that Hajime and Suga are watching the scene unfold with confusion written in their expressions. Because it's been so long since they've seen Daichi get this physcially close to an omega. Years since he's even touched an omega in the way he's touching Oikawa right now. 

A thought occurs to Suga, and he decides that it's time to step in. 

"Dai," Suga takes a step closer, pausing when there's a low warning growl from the alpha. Suga crosses his arms over his chest, holding his ground. "Daichi, you have a meeting with your inner circle soon, don't you? We need to get Oikawa home before they get here; He understands now. He won't tell anybody about us." 

Daichi seems to snap out of whatever state he had fallen into while holding onto Oikawa, looks over at Suga. He sees the look in Suga' eyes, and seems to finally realize what he was doing. He slowly steps away from Oikawa, careful not to let in fall out of his seat, as the brunet seems a little woozy. 

"Oikawa," Daichi speaks, no longer using Command. Oikawa turns his head to look at him. "I'm going to have Hajime give you a ride home, okay?" Oikawa nods, still a little bit fuzzy. Daichi turns to Hajime. "Hajime, make sure he gets home safe, alright?" Hajime sees the look in Daichi's eyes, and understands. 

If anything bad happens to Oikawa, it's Hajime's fault. If Hajime fails to keep Oikawa safe, well, he's screwed. 

Oikawa seems reluctant to leave, but let's Hajime lead him out of the kitchen anyways. All the while, he stares back at Daichi, their eyes locked until the omega steps through the front door. 

Suga is enraged when he speaks. "Dai, what the fuck was that?!" 

The alpha tilts his head in confusion. 

"With Oikawa?" Suga clarifies. "You had your hands and scent all over him! I've only ever seen you do that to one omega before, an-" 

"Stop." Daichi sighs. "Don't- Don't mention his name." He takes a seat, rests his head in his hands. "I don't know why I did that. I just... Saw Oikawa panicking like that, and my instincts told me to use command to calm him, to go over there and scent him. I didn't- I didn't mean to, but-" 

"It's your rut." Suga tells him, plopping into the seat next to Daichi. "You're going into your rut. And by the looks of it, it's going to start soon." 

Daichi huffs. He wants to deny it, but he knows that Suga is probably right. He's been feeling particularly... aggressive, all morning. And every time he gets a whiff of Oikawa, his mind goes wild. It's probably because Oikawa is the only unbonded omega he's been around today. But, there's one problem with Suga's theory. 

"I don't have a rut anymore." Daichi reminds the omega. "Not ever since..." He pauses, then sighs. "Do you think it may be triggered by Oikawa's induced heat? Maybe I only responded that way because his scent is still more prominent from the inducers." 

Suga shakes his head, shrugs. "I don't know, Dai." He stands, starts clearing away dishes. "But I think you should lock up in your room for a while, at least the next few hours, just to be sure." 

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Daichi asks. "What if something happens?" 

"Nothing will," Suga tells him. "The estate is guarded. Well enough that nobody will get in or out without us knowing about it first." 

Daichi nods and stands. "Fine." He tells Suga. "I'm going to head up, then. Tell my circle that I can't meet with them today; Don't tell them why; Just give them some excuse about being on a job or something." 

Suga nods. Daichi turns, moves to walk out of the room, then pauses. 

"Suga," 

The omega looks at him. "Hm?"

"Thanks for helping," Daichi smiles. "With Oikawa." 

Suga grins. "You're welcome."


	2. The Crown Prince of MOC

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, Yahaba wishes he could lock Oikawa away and protect Oikawa from the world; That he could keep Oikawa stored up in his room with a comfy nest and his favourite movies, and just let him be free of worry. Just let him feel safe, for once in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter two! 
> 
> The title wont really make sense until the end, and still may be very confusing. It doesn't mention it blatantly. but Yahaba is the crown prince of MOC (lol chromo i know you'll see this haha)
> 
> There was originally going to be an extra scene to this chapter, but I wanted to get this out, so that will be in the next chapter instead.

Chapter two; The Crown Prince of MOC

Hajime leads Oikawa out of the mansion, and the omega can't help marvelling at the sheer size of the building he was just in; Its four, maybe five, floors. Just from seeing the front of the mansion, Oikawa can tell the inside must be vast. 

And the yard- Oh, the yard his beautiful. With perfectly trimmed green grass, various types of trees growing perfectly in rows around the perimeter. The leaves are beginning to turn into shades of red and yellow, and as they fall to the earth, they seem to add a strange beauty to the yard that just makes Oikawa smile. 

As someone who grew up without so much as a backyard, or a house, Oikawa finds the estate to be absolutely wonderful. 

Hajime glances over and sees the look on Oikawa's face; Eyes wide like a child on Christmas, lips curled into a small smile. The alpha stifles a laugh. 

Once he's finished gawking, Oikawa follows Hajime to the car that's parked out front, slides into the passenger seat when Hajime holds the door open for him. As they drive towards the front gates, Oikawa notices the two guards on watch, realizes there's probably dozens more all over the estate that Oikawa failed to notice.

Oikawa is quiet through most of the ride, accept for when it comes to giving Hajime directions. He's mostly lost in thought, considering whether or not it would be wise to actually show the alpha - and therefore, Daichi - where he lives. He knows that they know his name, knows they could find where he lives easily if they wanted to, but he wasn't going to help them do so. 

Instead, Oikawa directs Hajime to a group of apartment buildings a few blocks away from his own. He watches as Hajime eyes the building; It's nice, much nicer than the building Oikawa actually lives in, and he thinks for a moment that maybe Hajime can tell he doesn't live here, but then the alpha unlocks the doors and lets Oikawa step out of the car. 

He doesn't bother to say goodbye. Neither does Hajime. 

Oikawa steps towards the building, is lucky enough that there is a woman outside struggling with her groceries; He holds the door open for her, letting her step inside first before following and closing the door behind the two of them. Then, he looks out the window, watches until he's sure that Hajime has driven off, and then makes his way further into the building. 

Oikawa's leg his throbbing, the pain in his ribs searing. He knows that he's getting odd glances from the bruises covering his face and arms, but he ignores them, tries to keep his head up though, on the inside, he feels like he's crumbling to pieces. He's thankful for the buildings elevator; It would be pure hell to have to take the stairs in his current condition. He doubts he would be able to make it up one flight of stairs right now, much less the five flights it would take to get to the right floor. 

Within minutes, Oikawa is standing in front of a dark wood door, the door of the only person he know will never turn him away. 

Oikawa knocks pitifully against the wood, soft and tentative; exactly how he feels right now. There's the sound of footsteps, a muffled curse, and then the door is being flung wide open, making Oikawa jump. 

"Tooru, what the fuck?!" Yahaba Shigeru is yelling at Oikawa the second he sees him standing in the doorway. "You tell me you're working! You disappear all night! You don't answer any of my fucking texts or calls?! What the fuck is wrong with you?! I thought you were-" 

Yahaba cuts himself off when Oikawa begins to sob, right there in the middle of the hallway where anybody could see.

"Fuck-" Yahaba reaches out, pulls Oikawa into his apartment and shuts the door. He then pulls the taller of the two down to burry his face in Yahaba's chest as sobs wrack his body. 

Oikawa clings to Yahaba's shirt with shaking hands. "Shige, I-" Oikawa takes a studdering breath to try and calm himself, but it doesn't help. "Shige- There- There were hands all over me and I- I couldn't stop them and- and-" 

"Woah, woah," Yahaba cuts Oikawa off, voice now gentle as he lifts a hand to run it through Oikawa's hair. "Just breath, Tooru. Just breath." 

Oikawa tries. Really, he does. But it feels like there's claws dragging down the inside of his throat and into his chest, cutting up his insides and making it impossible for him to do anything more than cry and shake in Yahaba's arms. Yahaba realizes this, and nudges Oikawa further into the apartment, leading him into the bedroom. 

"Sit here," Yahaba sets Oikawa at the edge of the bed, turns and searches his closet almost frantically until he comes out with a large armful of blankets. He quickly deposites them onto the bed, arranges them in a hastily made nest, and then pulls Oikawa into it. 

Oikawa clings to Yahaba, pulls the younger omega down with him into the nest. Yahaba doesn't fight it, lets Oikawa curl up against Yahaba's chest and frantically scent himself. Oikawa's looking for comfort, reassurance, and Yahaba will never hesitate to give that to him. 

Yahaba lets out calming little crooning noises, holds Oikawa to him and lets him nuzzle against his scent glands. He's not really sure how long the two lay there, with Oikawa just crying in Yahaba's arms, but Yahaba takes the time to study Oikawa's form. There's a nasty bruise on his cheek, more bruises and multiple scratches covering his arms as though someone had been grabbing at him. Oikawa is wearing clothes that Yahaba knows for a fact do not belong to him; band shirts were never Oikawa's style. Even in cold weather, he would be wearing some revealing shirt and either a skirt or a pair of shorts. There was no way Oikawa would go out into public in a baggy band shirt and sweatpants - which were almost too large on him, mind you - if he had the choice. 

"What happened?" Yahaba asks once Oikawa has calmed down considerably. He's still shaking, clinging to Yahaba and nosing at his scent glands, but he's no longer sobbing. 

"Do you remember that guy from the club?" Oikawa asks in a soft, pathetic, voice. He lifts a hand to wipe tears away from his cheek, gives a shuddering little breath as Yahaba nods. 

"The guy with the Rollex? He was all over you the entire time." Oikawa nods, shivers a little. 

"He sent me an email, promised big money for the night. So I went, and-" Oikawa's grip on Yahaba's shirt tightens considerably. "There was a group of alpha's there. I tried to leave, but- But they forced me inside. I fought back and- and-" Oikawa's breath grows shallow once more, and Yahaba is quick to nuzzle against Oikawa, knows that Oikawa needs the close reassurance of his best friend right now. Once Oikawa's breathing returns to normal, he speaks again.

"They injected me with a heat inducer..." Oikawa lifts a hand to the side of his neck that Yahaba isn't nuzzling at, runs his finger over the track marks that he knows are there. "They were going to take turns, Shige- They- they had me on the floor and they were about to-" Oikawa tries to take a deep breath, tries to steady himself. "Someone- Someone shot through the window, killed the guy who was on top of me, and- And then these guys ran into the room. Two of them, Alpha's."

Oikawa tells him everything, about Daichi and Hajime killing Matou and his gang, them saving him. He tells Yahaba about how gentle Daichi was, how he didn't take advantage of the situation like so many other alpha's would've. When he gets to the part about waking up at the estate, he has to pause for a moment, to think about exactly how much he should tell Yahaba. He doesn't want to drag the younger man into this, to possibly put him in danger; Daichi had promised to protect Oikawa. He isn't sure if the man was being honest, but he knows for sure that there will be no protection for anybody he tells about who Daichi and Hajime and Suga are. 

But Oikawa needs to get everything off his chest, and he knows Yahaba; Had known him since they were young, living on the streets and doing everything they could to get by. He knows Yahaba isn't a snitch, knows Yahaba hates the authorities just as much as any other homeless kid who had been picked up on the side of the street and treated like garbage. 

He won't tell anyone. 

So Oikawa tells him; About waking up to Suga, about Daichi and Hajime. About how Daichi had so easily made Oikawa submit, in a way no alpha ever had before. He tells him everything, about him finding out that they're Yakuza, about how Daichi had held him and promised to protect him. 

As Oikawa speaks, Yahaba listens closely, intently. Once Oikawa finishes, he closed his eyes, prepares himself to Yahaba to express some sort of disbelief, maybe say that he's lying. But Yahaba does no such thing. He just pulls Oikawa closer, wraps his limbs around Oikawa and holds him, burying his face in Oikawa's soft brown hair. 

"I'm... sorry I didn't contact you." Oikawa murmurs softly. "I lost my phone." 

Yahaba shakes his head. "It's fine. I shouldn't have yelled at you about it. I was just so worried." He takes a deep breath. "You always make sure to check in after you get done with a client, and- When you didn't answer me, I thought maybe you were-" Yahaba's breath hitches, and he cuts himself off before he can break down into tears. He can't let himself cry right now. He needs to be here for Oikawa, to support him. He can't be weak when Oikawa needs him. 

Yahaba has spent too much of his life relying on Oikawa to look after him. Now, it's his turn to do the same. 

"Do you want to stay here for a few days?" Yahaba asks. "If those men really are Yakuza, than I doubt they'll have any difficulty finding out where you live. You shouldn't stay there, at least until we know whether or not they'll try to hurt you." 

Oikawa nods, sniffles and noses at Yahaba's shoulder. 

"Do you mind if I rest for a little bit?" Oikawa asks tentatively. "I'm really tired from everything that happened..." 

Yahaba nods and sits up. "Of course." He caresses Oikawa's cheek momentarily before standing. "If you need anything, I'll be in the livingroom." 

"Okay," Oikawa murmurs, curling up tighter and pulling one of the blankets over him. "Thank you, Shige." 

Yahaba just smiles softly, says a soft "No problem, Tooru," and steps out of the room, leaving the door open just a crack behind him. 

While Oikawa rests, Yahaba grabs his computer from its place on the kitchen table and moves into the livingroom, powers it up and gets to work. 

He's going to do whatever he can to help Oikawa. 

And that means finding out who those men really are.

\--

Suga was right. 

Suga had been so fucking right about Daichi's rut coming back, and Daichi had been too stubborn to accept it until hours later, when it finally hits him. 

Daichi is in his own personal wing of rooms on the fifth floor, trying to do more research on the mystery that is Oikawa Tooru. It starts with the tell-tale feeling of warmth building deep in his stomach, then the rapid heartbeat, and soon Daichi is quickly stepping out of his office and towards his bedroom. 

Daichi is not ready for this, is not ready for his rut to come back after four fucking years without one. He isn't ready to become needy and vulnurable and aggressive. He isn't ready to be left alone, desperate and full of desire with nobody to spend his rut with. 

Because ever since his first rut, at the age of sixteen, he had always had someone there. Even in the very beginning of their relationship, Chikara had stayed with Daichi during his ruts, and he had stayed with Chikara during the omega's heats. Even before they bonded, they refused to be apart; They knew it was their duty to look after each other in their moments of need.

But now, Daichi doesn't have Chikara to be there for him during his rut, because Chikara is gone. 

Dead, Deceased, just fucking gone. 

And Daichi has nobody to blame for that but himself. Not anymore. 

But Daichi isn't going to let himself think about that right now; Knows that in his agitated state, thinking about what happened will send him into an uncontrollable rage, will make him cause more damage to his bedroom than he already has in the last four years of anger. So he avoids the memories of that night. 

Instead, he lets himself fall into his large bed, doesn't bother with teasing; He is quick to strip himself, discards his expensive clothing and drops it to the floor like garbage. He's already hard and leaking, and when he wraps a hand around his erection, it feels like there are tiny shocks running through his body, starting at his cock and trailing all the way up to his brain. 

The feeling of his hand isn't enough, though. It never is. So Daichi turns, grabs hold of one of the many fluffy pillows on his bed and grinds against it, ignores the embarrassed flush of his cheeks as he roughly thrusts against the pillow, fucking it as though it were the omega he wishes he was with. 

He pictures that curvy form, that short, straight dark hair and those dark droopy eyes that always stared at Daichi as though he were the universe. He remembers the feeling of Chikara's hands on him, short nails digging into his skin and leaving marks as Daichi fucks him, hard and deep the way the omega likes. He remembers the tone of Chikara's voice, moaning for him and telling Daichi just how good he feels, just how good of an alpha Daichi is as he plows into him. 

Then, Daichi's cumming. Maybe he lets out the slightest of whimpers against the sheets as his hips buck against the pillow, but he doesn't quite remember. Because it's still not enough; He's still desperate and needy and Daichi can't help the emotions that are running through him, now. 

Tears stream down his tan cheeks, and Daichi wipes them away as he lowers his other hand to palm at his oversensitive cock. It hurts, fuck, but he can't stop. Not when his rut is raging through him like an unforgiving storm. 

It's only hours later, when his body finally gives out after so many orgasms Daichi fails to count, that a thought occurs to the alpha. 

And then he realizes just how fucked he really is. 

\--

Yahaba let's Oikawa sleep through most of the day, only makes him wake up once it's almost time for dinner; He knows Oikawa could use the rest right now, knows he's drained physically and emotionally. But he isn't just going to let the brunet hole himself up in Yahabaps bedroom forever. 

Oikawa waddles sleepily out of the bedroom, once prompted. Once he's sure that Oikawa is fine waiting on his own in the livingroom, Yahaba makes dinner in the kitchen; Oikawa isn't all that great of a cook, and both of them know that Yahaba is very particular when it comes to having his kitchen all to himself. 

When Yahaba steps back into the livingroom half an hour later with bowls and chopsticks in hand, Oikawa is nowhere in sight. It takes him a moment of confusion, before he sees that the door to the balcony is open. 

Yahaba steps out, sees Oikawa sitting on one of the chairs, leaning back with his knees curled up to his chest. He's in the middle of inhaling deeply from the cigarette in hand, and Yahaba sighs. 

"You found them?" Yahaba takes a seat in the chair next to Oikawa as the brunet nods, holds his breath for a mere moment before exhaling the white puffs of smoke. 

"You didn't hide them very well, Shige-chan." Yahaba gives Oikawa a look, and Oikawa's face contorts guiltily. "You're not mad at me, right? I know I gave them to you so I wouldn't be tempted, but..." 

"I understand." Yahaba tells him. "Really, I'm not mad. I just wish you'd find some other vice."

One that wouldn't eventually cause Oikawa a premature death, preferably. 

"I'm trying," Oikawa took the bowl of food once it was offered to him, but didn't start eating right away; He just placed it on the table in front of them, continued smoking. 

"Do you have work tonight?" Oikawa asked before taking another long drag. Yahaba knew Oikawa was trying to change the subject, and usually, he would call him out for it. But he knew that Oikawa was fragile right now, that he would prefer to not talk about his addiction when he was already dealing with so much. 

"Yeah," Yahaba sighs, breaking apart his chopsticks and taking a bite from the ramen he had made; He wasn't in the mood to make anything more time consuming than that. "You can come with, if you want. I'm sure Take-chan will let you hang out in the change room with the guys." 

Oikawa shakes his head, puffs out another breath of smoke. "I'd just be a Nuisance. Don't you have that newbie to train, anyways?" 

"You're not a nuisance," Yahaba huffs. "But yeah, Take-chan is having me train this guy... Sugawara Koushi? I don't even know why he's working at a strip club, since he seems like he has some super rich alpha or something." Yahaba shrugs, takes another bite of his food. "But whatever, that's not my business." 

Oikawa tilts his head curiously, wondering why that name seems familiar, but doesn't push it. 

Oikawa finishes his smoke, and is just about to pull a second one out of the pack when Yahaba shoots him a look. The brunet sighs, but closes the pack and hands it to Yahaba, along with his lighter. 

"Eat," Yahaba tells him seriously, grabbing his bowl and forcing it into his empty hands. "Before your ramen gets cold." 

Oikawa pouts, but does as told. 

They sit there together until they finish eating, and then Yahaba stands, moving into the bathroom to shower so he could get ready for work. He's quick but thorough, washing his body and hair; He doesn't have to worry about shaving tonight, as he had already waxed as necessary a few days ago. So, once he dries off, he slips into a simple pair of jeans and a pullover; He will change into his outfit once he gets to the club. 

"Will you be okay on your own for a few hours?" Yahaba asks Oikawa as he slips into his shoes at the door. Oikawa scoffs. 

"Of course, Shige-chan. I'm not a child." Oikawa's smiling cheerily. Yahaba knows it's just a cover for whatever it is he's actually feeling right now, but over the years, he's learned not to pry Oikawa for information unless he's offering it up himself. 

"Fine," Yahaba sighs, pulling his jacket on. "I'll be back around one." Oikawa nods, and Yahaba steps out the door.

\--

Murder of Crows - or MOC, as most people like to call it - is a high end strip club just a few blocks from Yahaba's apartment. He'd started working there at the age of nineteen, since there weren't many other well paying establishments that were willing to hire someone who hadn't even finished high school. 

It's not that Yahaba had dropped out of school on purpose. No way; If he had the choice, Yahaba would have finished high school, and probably would be in his last year of college right now. But for people like him - A runaway, who had to do everything he could and so much more just to be able to feed himself -, going to school wasn't an option. 

It wasn't as if Yahaba had any parents to enroll him. His last foster family had been two drug addicts who had been using Yahaba for the money that the government would give them to look after him; They didn't care whether or not he was in school. They didn't even care of he ate, or slept, or breathed for that matter. 

As you can imagine, Yahaba hadn't stayed with them for very long. 

So, a few months after finishing middle school, Yahaba had run away, deciding that being alone on the streets of Tokyo was better than being with two abusive and neglectful drug addicts for the next three years. 

Then, Yahaba had met Oikawa. The brunet had been a year older than him, was already strong and used to what it was like living on the streets. For the first year that they spent together, Oikawa never told him much about where he was from; He had a family, but refused to live with them. He'd continued going to school, despite being homeless, until his second year of highschool. 

That had been when Yahaba's first heat had hit; Yahaba remembered it clearly. 

At the time, the two of them had been living with a group of other homeless people - mostly teens, a few adults - in the back alleys of a popular shopping district. Oikawa had already been dealing with his own heats for a year, had gotten used to holing himself up, alone, for days on end where no alpha's would be able to find him, only Yahaba coming to check up on him. When Yahaba's came, the two realized that they were no longer safe on the streets; That Oikawa couldn't care for himself during his own heats and still be able to fight off alphas to protect Yahaba during his. 

Oikawa had to look for a job, had to find some way to make money so that they could get a place of their own, no matter how shitty. 

They just needed somewhere that was safe, somewhere they could close themselves off behind locked doors and not have to worry about being taken advantage of by any alpha who caught a whiff of them during their heat. 

So Oikawa had dropped out of school to get a job, to take care of Yahaba, who had been too young to work. For months, Oikawa didn't tell Yahaba where he was disappearing to late at night. All he ever said was that he was working. That seemed to be true, since Oikawa started coming back with money each morning, so Yahaba didn't pry. 

Until Oikawa had come home to their shitty little apartment one night covered in cuts and bruises, limping on the knee Yahaba knew was injured, the bottom half of his shirt coated in blood. 

Yahaba was only sixteen at the time, and though he had already seen so many messed up things, seeing Oikawa like that had broken him just a little bit. 

Yahaba patched Oikawa up to the best of his adolescent ability, had used the tiny bit of extra money the two had managed to save to buy the necessary tools to take care of Oikawa's injuries. 

For days, Oikawa hadn't spoken a word to Yahaba, or anybody else for that matter. He'd remained silent, just curled up on the futon that he and Yahaba shared. Yahaba remembers how difficult it had been to take care of Oikawa during that time; The brunet had refused to eart, didn't sleep much either. Yahaba knew something had happened to Oikawa, but he didn't know how to get Oikawa to explain if he was refusing to speak completely. 

Then, one night, Oikawa had broken down. Yahaba had held Oikawa tight in his arms as he cried, telling Yahaba about how he had been selling his body for money, how he'd been letting men use him for their own pleasure. 

There was one particular alpha who had been asking to meet up with him often; four or even five nights a week on some occasions. He was a wealthy man, who treated Oikawa well and payed him even better. Oikawa thought he could trust the alpha, thought he was a nice guy. 

But then he started getting jealous whenever Oikawa was busy with another client, would start throwing fits if Oikawa refused to just drop everything at any time to go be with him. Then, in a fit of rage, he had attacked Oikawa. He had held Oikawa down and raped him, had cut him over and over again on his stomach; He'd said that since Oikawa refused to let the alpha give him a bond mark, he would mark Oikawa as his property in a different way. 

It was then that Yahaba decided that what happened to Oikawa was his fault; If Yahaba had just been a few months older, he would be working alongside Oikawa. The brunet wouldn't be forced to be on his own, wouldn't be left vulnerable and alone on the streets. 

It was Yahaba's fault that nobody had been there to protect Oikawa. 

When Oikawa returned to the streets, weeks later, it was with the constant fear that the alpha who had hurt him would be waiting for him, ready to snatch him up at any moment. Oikawa had developed rules, ways to protect himself from anybody who could want to hurt him while he was working. 

But how much good did that do, huh? 

It had been almost seven years since then, and Oikawa was only just starting to ge better; He no longer called Yahaba in the middle of the night, crying from nightmares about large men with sharp knives. He no longer felt as though he was being watched every time he stepped out of his apartment, no longer holed himself up for weeks at a time anytime anything even remotely dangerous happened. He'd even tried to quit smoking, had mentioned weeks ago that he was thinking of picking up a hobby. 

But, of course, for people like them, nothing could be simple. 

As the universe would have it, just as Oikawa was getting better, he gets assaulted by a group of alphas. He's injected with heat inducers, he's beaten, he's bruised. And then, when he's saved from what could only be a terrible fate, he finds out that his saviours are nothing more than fucking Yakuza. 

Sometimes, Yahaba wishes he could lock Oikawa away and protect Oikawa from the world; That he could keep Oikawa stored up in his room with a comfy nest and his favourite movies, and just let him be free of worry. Just let him feel safe, for once in his life. 

Oikawa deserves to feel safe. Deserves to feel loved. 

There's a tap on Yahaba's shoulder, startling from his thoughts. 

"Yahaba? Are you almost ready? Your shows about to start." 

Yahaba raises his head and eyes Takeda in the reflection of the mirror in front of him. The man is smiling softly, warmly. 

"Yeah," Yahaba nods. He grabs one of the pallets in front of him and a brush. "I just have to finish my makeup. Then I'll be good to go." 

"Okay." Takeda pauses for a moment, then turns away. "Don't keep them waiting." 

Yahaba nods again, before leaning forward in his seat and swiftly applying golden eyeshadow with a brush. Once finished, he checks over his outfit in the mirror; A pair of white jean shorts and a sequined top with gold accents. Personally, Yahaba hates the outfit on himself, but he knows that a lot of their customers go crazy for it, despite it's simplicity. 

Once finished getting ready, Yahaba glances across the room and finds the newbie talking with one of the other boys. 

"Yo, Sugawara!" Yahaba calls, catching the other omega's attention. His fluffy looking silver hair bobs around his face as he turns his head to look at Yahaba, a cheery smile on his sweet face. "Boss wants you to come out, to watch my show." Sugawara tilts his head a little on confusion, and Yahaba elaborates. "He wants you to get an idea of what we should look like on stage before I start teaching you choreo." 

Suga nods, turns back and says something to one of the other boys before following Yahaba out of the dressing room and into the main area of the club. Many of tonights patrons have already gathered around the stage in anticipation of tonights show, and Yahaba is momentarily overwhelmed by the scent of so many alphas in one room. No matter how many times Yahaba comes here, it always takes him a moment to steady himself. 

Yahaba's eyes scan the club, looking out for any possible trouble makers he should be aware of. There's a group of older, female, alpha's sitting at a table a few feet from the stage, talking happily and nursing various drinks; It doesn't seem like they'll be much of a problem. Female alphas tend to be more respectful than their male counterparts. Maybe Yahaba will give one of them a lapdance during his show, just for the fun of it. 

Then he sees a duo of male alphas a few feet away from the ladies. They're obviously already way too drunk, and are talking far too loudly for the typically muted aura of the club. He sees one of them catcalling one of the dancers who is already working the room, and knows right away that they'll be trouble. 

Yahaba will be surprised if he doesn't have to kick the two out of the club with bruised ego's and matching black eyes. 

Then Yahaba's gaze drifts to the back of the club, and smiles just a bit. 

He's here. 

Yahaba doesn't know much about this particular alpha; Just that he's come during most of Yahaba's shifts for the last few weeks. He always sits in the back corner booth, never drinks, and never takes his eyes off of Yahaba once the show starts. 

The alpha is broad., with wide shoulders and muscular arms. His hair is cropped short and blond, and there's two odd shaved lines on either side, wrapping around to connect in the back. His eyes- God, his eyes, are a bright, piercing, gold colour, and when they look at Yahaba, the omega has the urge to go over there, climb onto his lap, and just go to town. 

Strange. 

Yahaba can't make out this particular alpha's scent, with the swarm of other alphas around him, but he knows deep in his soul that it's something sharp, something almost spicey. Yahaba is eager for the day when he can finally catch a whiff of that scent. 

As Yahaba dances, he feels those eyes on him, almost piercing through him. Yahaba dances with just a tad bit more seduction than usual, letting his scent flow around the room, knowing that his sweet omega aroma will draw all of the alphas in the room even more into the trance of watching him. 

When his first song ends and it's time for him to pick someone to give a lapdance to, his mind always drifts first to that strange blond alpha in the back of the room. Instead, though, Yahaba sees that one of the female alphas is wearing a birthay sash - 35, huh? - and steps over to her with an alluring smile on his face. 

As Yahaba dances on her lap and stares into blue eyes, Yahaba can't help but wish that he was instead dancing on a much broader lap, that he was looking into piercing golden eyes, running his hands through short blond hair. 

But then the song ends, and he ends the dance with a smile as the female alpha slides a few bills into the waistband of his shorts. When he glances over to the corner of the room, he finds that the blond is already gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't forget to leave kudos, comments, and bookmark! 
> 
> You should also follow me on tumblr at Justaidenarts, or my Oikawa blog, Tofu-Kawa!


	3. Strength in Vulnerability

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You need to go." He tells the alpha. "Now." Shige moves to stand, but Oikawa reaches forward and clings to Shige's jacket, doesn't let him move away. "Leave and don't come back." 
> 
> Shige takes a deep breath, and continues. "I don't care that you saved Tooru from the hands of some gang. I don't care that you think he owes you now or whatever. " He steps towards Daichi, and Oikawa clings to him tighter, almost falling off the couch from how tightly he's holding the other omega. "He's not yours. You do not have the right to step into his life like this. He's dealing with too much to add your bullshit onto it, so just stay the fuck away from him." Shige's lips pull back in a snarl, a protective scent rolling off of him in waves. "I don't care about your wealth or your stupid Yakuza buddies. If you show up like this again, and he ends up in this state, I will fucking kill you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY UPLOADING THIS ONE. Gosh ive been wanting to upload this for while. I hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> Dontmindmedear I stg if you don't like this

Chapter three: Strength in Vulnerability

When Yahaba returns to his apartment late that night, he finds that all of the lights are off, but catches the sound of the television playing from the livingroom. 

After kicking off his shoes, Yahaba steps into the room, finds a form curled up on the couch with a blanket wrapped tightly around him. Oikawa has the television playing some reality show, but he isn't actually watching it. He's staring blankly at a fixed place on the carpeted floor, chocolate eyes glazed over. One hand is clutching tightly at the blanket, the other fisted into his shirt. As Yahaba steps closer, he notices tear tracks staining Oikawa's cheeks. 

"Hey, Tooru," Yahaba steps even closer, kneels next to Oikawa's head and lifts a hand to pet through Oikawa's hair. The brunet flinches away, lets out the tiniest of whimpers and squeezes his eyes shut. Yahaba furrows his brows in concern, brings his hand closer and caresses over his forehead. 

"Are you okay?" Yahaba asks softly, and Oikawa winces as if Yahaba had shocked him. There's a pause, and then Oikawa shakes his head, gives a little sniffle and curls up a bit more. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" Oikawa stares blankly for a moment, then shrugs a little bit. Yahaba gives a sad smile, fights the urge to sigh and moves to sit on the couch next to Oikawa. He stares a bit in surprise when Oikawa rolls over and buries his head in Yahaba's lap, face against the other omega's stomach. 

Yahaba runs a hand through Oikawa's hair again, holds Oikawa close when the brunet sniffles and shakes against him. 

For a while, the only sound in the apartment is the television playing lowly, casting blue light over the two forms on the couch. After some time, Yahaba thinks that maybe Oikawa has fallen asleep. Then, the brunet speaks. 

"Shige-Chan," Oikawa's voice wavers as he speaks. "Is there... something wrong with me?"

Yahaba startles, eyed wide as he looks down at Oikawa. The brunet is staring blankly at Yahaba's stomach, his eyes tearing up again. 

"What?" Yahaba questions. "Why would you think such a thing?"

Yahaba realizes that Oikawa has a hand clutching at the fabric of his shirt, and knows exactly what he's thinking about. 

"I just-" Oikawa's shoulders shake as he tries to hold back sobs. "Am I a terrible person? Did I- did I hurt someone? Why-" He buries his face against Yahaba's stomach, his voice muffled when he begins to speak again. "Why do terrible things always happen to me?" 

Yahaba is about to speak, but Oikawa continues, and Yahaba doesn't stop him; He knows Oikawa needs to get this off his chest. 

"Was he right about me?" Oikawa asks, and Yahaba knows who he's talking about right away; the alpha who had assaulted him years ago, who had covered his stomach in those deep scars. "He said I- He said I'm nothing more than something to be used. A... a play thing for him to treat as he pleased. I- I belong to him. Is all of this happening to me because I escaped?" Oikawa shudders lets out a choked sob. "I should've... I should have never survived that. And now it's coming back to haunt me-" 

Oikawa breaks down then, clutches tightly at Yahaba and cries. Yahaba holds Oikawa to him tightly, close, like Oikawa used to hold him when Yahaba was younger, when he was scared and alone and just needed someone to hold him and tell him that everything will be okay.

Yahaba pulls Oikawa into a seated position so that Yahaba can look at his face, so that he can make Oikawa meet his gaze. Yahaba grabs the hand that is clutching at Oikawa's shirt, pries his fingers open and pulls his hand away from the crumpled fabric. 

"Look at me," Yahaba tells him, voice soft but stern. Oikawa keeps his head down, keeps his eyes shut as his shoulders shake with sobs. "I said, look at me, Tooru." 

Oikawa's shoulders jump at the almost demanding tone of Yahaba's voice, but he does as told. 

"There is nothing wrong with you." Yahaba speaks calmly, smoothly. He's enraged that somone as amazing as Oikawa Tooru could be made to feel this way about themselves, but he holds that rage in. He doesn't want to scare Oikawa in his fragile state. "Nothing, at all." Yahaba repeats at the disbelieving look on Oikawa's face. 

"The world is a fucked up place, Tooru," Yahaba tightens his hold just barely on Oikawa's shaking hand. "There are so many people in the world who have done nothing wrong, yet are treated like they have. And there are so many awful, terrible, monsters of people, who do horrible things, but never get any payback for it." Yahaba leans forward, presses close to Oikawa so he knows that the brunet is understanding everything he's saying. "The world hurts people. I don't know why, Tooru. Really, I don't. But I know that you are strong enough to handle anything the world throws at you." 

Oikawa sniffles, lifts his free hand to rub at his nose. "But I'm not-" 

"You are." Yahaba repeats. He presses his forehead against Oikawa's, two sets of brown eyes so close together as they stare into each other. He knows this would look strange to others, two omega's holding each other this way, but Yahaba doesn't care. "No matter how much time has passed, no matter what has happened to you, I knows that you are still that same, strong, gentle, fucking wonderful person who took me in. You saw this bratty little kid, lonely with nowhere to go, and despite being barely able to care for yourself, you helped me." He lifts his free hand to the back of Oikawa's head, presses their foreheads closer together to emphasize his point. "You're just as strong- No, you're even stronger than you were then. I know that with all of my being."

"It doesn't matter to me that some entitled asshole decided to hurt you. It doesn't matter to me that your body is covered in scars. You are strong. You have gone through things that most people couldn't even fathom, and you're still here. That man may have covered you in his markings, but that doesn't mean you're his." Yahaba takes a deep breath, finds tears streaming down his own cheeks and falling onto their laps. "You don't belong to him, Tooru. Okay?" Oikawa hesitates, and Yahaba repeats himself. 

Oikawa nods, nearly chokes on a rough sob as it wracks his thin body.

They just sit there for a moment, just staring at each other, and then Yahaba startles a bit as Oikawa wraps his arms tightly around Yahaba's waist, buries his face against the other omega's chest. Yahaba holds him, leans back against the armrest of the couch with Oikawa's body between his spead legs, and cries into Oikawa's hair. 

For some time, the two just sit there like that, crying into each other. Yahaba doesn't care that his pullover his being stained with tears, or that Oikawa's boney knee is digging into his calf. All he cares about right now is holding Oikawa, about making sure he's okay. 

Eventually, both of their sobs turn into muffled sniffles, and their tears dry up. Oikawa's breathing turns heavy, and Yahaba thinks for a moment thar the brunet has fallen asleep. Then, there's a soft, muffled murmur from Oikawa.

"Thank you, Shigeru." 

Yahaba hums, nuzzles against the top of Oikawa's head. 

"You're welcome, Tooru."

Yahaba isn't quite sure how long they lay there before he falls asleep. He knows that his back will be sore in the morning, that his right leg will probably be numb from where Oikawa's is hooked over it, but he doesn't care. All he cares about is the fact that he doesn't wake up once to Oikawa crying mid-nightmare, knows its probably because he's just too emotionally exhausted for his brain to even come up with terrifying images of his past. But he likes to think that the real reason Oikawa doesn't have a nightmare tonight is that he feels safe in Yahaba's arms. 

\--

Kyoutani arrives at the estate a little after two in the morning. He doesn't bother to be stealthy about it, knows that most of the others who live here are still awake, anyways. Kyoutani is just stepping into the kitchen when he hears the sound of the basement door opening and closing, smells the scent of blood. 

"Who was it?" Kyoutani asks as Iwaizumi steps into the room; He doesn't have to look in the alpha's direction to see that it's him; He's the only person so high up in the syndicate - accept for maybe his mate - who is perfectly fine strolling around the estate covered in the blood of his victims. 

"That's none of your business, Ken," Iwaizumi reminds the younger alpha as the blond searches the fridge for food; Suga always makes sure to leave leftovers from dinner for him. Suga's nice like that. Kyoutani raises an eyebrow at Iwaizumi a he pulls out a blue tupperware container of curry. 

"Ours?" 

Iwaizumi nods. "A snitch; Was ratting us out to the cops." Iwaizumi snorts. "Do footsoldiers even know that the entire police force works for us?" 

Kyoutani shrugs, opens the container and goes to warm it up with the microwave. 

"What's been up with you, Ken?" Iwaizumi asks, crosses his arms over his chest. "First you fuck up on the Matou job, and then you leave Koushi at MOC all alone?" The elder of the two sighs, runs a hand through his messy hair."You're a good kid. I know that, but do I have to remind you of why you're here? What happens if you don't do your job?" 

Kyoutani shakes his head. "You still got Matou on your own, so what's the problem? I was just protecting that omega." The microwave beeps, and Kyoutani pulls it open to grab his food. 

"For as long as I've known you, you've never cared about saving some random omega; You've never cared about about omegas in general. So why now?" Iwaizumi looks legitimately irritated. Kyoutani knows he should be scared of Iwaizumi, knows he's a dangerous man when he's angry. But Kyoutani can't bring himself to be scared; Kyoutani owes his life to Iwaizumi. He would die on a whim for Iwaizumi if the man asked it of him. 

But that doesn't mean that Kyoutani wants to tell him about the omega he's become so infatuated with. Yahaba Shigeru; He only knows his name because Suga works with him, because he mentioned it to Kyoutani a few days ago. 

He doesn't want to tell Iwaizumi that the reason he left Suga alone at the club was that the sight of Yahaba dancing on the lap of another alpha had enraged him so. He doesn't even know the guy, for fucks sake. But he can't help being attracted to him, with his soft looking light brown hair, and kind eyes, and curvy figure. He can't help but be intrigued by the way Yahaba had looked at him with hunger in his eyes; He knows it was probably just part of his job, but he can't help hoping it was more. 

But Kyoutani has never been attracted to an omega before, has never felt jealous by seeing one pay attention to someone else instead of him. He's never needed a relationship, only needs the occasional quick fucks with Terushima, a crazy beta who works in the syndicate along side him.

He isn't going to tell Iwaizumi any of this. At least until he knows what it means.

So Kyoutani just shrugs and hums noncommittally, grabs a spoon from the drawer and leaves the kitchen. He can hear Iwaizumi's annoyed huff as he made his way up the stairs to his room. 

\--

Suga is just stepping out of the shower when he hears the door to his and Hajime's bedroom opening and closing. He wraps a towel around his waist, finishes drying his hair, and steps out of the bathroom to find Hajime sifting through the dresser in search of clothes. Suga can smell the metallic scent of blood, and knows that his mate must have just finished an interrogation. 

"Haji, hey." Suga steps towards the alpha, wraps his arms around Hajime's waist from behind and presses his forehead against his mates shoulder. He can't help but love the way Hajime's sharp scent mixes with the metallic smell of the blood, tries to fight the way his body thrums with interest and arousal. 

It's fucked up, but Suga has always loved how much of a cold blooded killer Hajime is. 

They're so similar, like that. 

Suga can feel the stiffness in Hajime's shoulders, can smell the hint of anger that is tainting his scent. He figures something must have happened either during the interrogation or after. 

"What happened, baby?" Suga asks, moving to mouth at Hajime's neck, loving it when his tongue swept across drying blood on Hajime's dark flesh. "Was it a feisty one, tonight?" 

Hajime turns to Suga, lets his hands fall to to his omega's hips. "No, nothing like that." Hajime smiles a bit. "Besides, you know I like it when they try to fight back." 

Suga hums, eyes the splatter of blood on Hajime's jawline. "I know, I know." He leans in, mouths at the droplets of blood with sparkling eyes and a moist tongue. "What is it, then?" 

"I think we're going to have to keep an eye on Ken for a while. There's something up with him, and he doesn't want to tell me what it is." Suga tilts his head to the side, thinking. 

"He'll slip up and mention it soon, Haji; You know he can never keep anything from you for long." Hajime nods, grips Suga's hips tighter and pulls the omega closer. 

"I know, but I'm worried about the kid." 

Suga sighs, mouths along Hajime's bare collar bones. "I know. But I'm more concerned about Dai right now; the entire top floor is covered in the scent of his rut." 

Iwaizumi huffs, but Suga can tell Iwaizumi doesn't want to get into that; there's been too much going on lately, and they don't want to have to add Daichi's returned rut to the list of things they need to worry about. So Suga changes the subject with a teasing little smile. 

"I wish I could've watched you tonight." Suga murmurs, licks up some of the blood splattered along Hajime's neck. "You're always so hot when you get like that. Fuck- We could've fucked on the body like we did that one time-" 

Hajime huffs out an amused laugh. "You know I can't let you down there during interrogations anymore, baby." Even he seems a bit upset about that. "You know how Daichi would react." 

Suga sighs. "Fine." He presses closer to Hajime. "But that doesn't mean I'm not expecting you to fuck me; You're just so sexy covered in blood." 

Hajime chuckles, presses a kiss to Suga's lips before picking him up. He walks over to the bed and drops his omega down on top of it. Suga grins, spreads his legs teasingly and pulls Hajime down on top of him and in for a deep, rough kiss. 

\--

The next few days are a bit of a blur for Oikawa. He spends most of his time moping on Yahaba's couch, startling at any sudden noises, terrified that at any moment someone is going to force their way into the apartment and do terrible things to him. 

All of the free time Oikawa has gives him a lot of time to think about what happened with Daichi, that strange alpha who drew Oikawa's attention so easily. Now that he's no longer being assaulted by the alpha's scent, he allows himself to feel enraged by what happened. 

How dare Daichi make Oikawa submit like that? How dare Daichi make him feel safe, and warm, and then tell him that he's nothing more than a stone cold killer, that he's a fucking Yakuza boss? 

Oikawa is terrified of the thought of Daichi looking for him, trying to find him and wanting to demand that Oikawa repay the alpha for saving his life like that. 

And as much as Oikawa is enraged by the alpha, he can't help remembering the pull he had felt towards him, the way those kind eyes had looked at him, the way those gentle hands had felt on his skin. 

Then Oikawa always snaps himself out of those thoughts, never lets himself get further than that. He refuses to admit to the attraction he feels for Daichi, always forces himself to focus on something else. 

On the monday after the assault, Oikawa goes back to his apartment, just to check and make sure that nobody was there. The door is locked when he arrives, and with the key he borrowed from Yahaba - He had lost his along with his phone - he manages to get the door open. 

Nothing seems to be out of place when he first steps into his apartment. His old, dingy, blue couch is still sitting in its spot in the livingroom, his tiny kitchen table is still standing precariously on four wobbly legs. When he looks in the bedroom, his sheets on his futon are still rumpled from the last time he slept there, and his dresser drawers are still left half open from when he forgot to close them. 

Oikawa sighs in relief, slumps against the wall. 

Nobody has been here; the only scent lingering in his apartment is his own. He's safe. 

Then that little part of his brain speaks, asking him how long he'll be safe for, how long it will be this time until another alpha decides to try to take advantage of him. 

And then panic sets in, and he's crumbling, sliding down the wall until he's seated on the hardwood floor. 

Shit- He's supposed to be stronger than this. He's an adult now, he's supposed to be able to handle himself better, to not fall into a state of panic just from mere thoughts alone. 

But he can't fucking help it. He can't help it when he curls in on himself, when he wraps his arms tightly around himself, gripping at his shoulders so tightly that his nails draw blood. He's shaking- He can't fucking stop shaking, and remembering those hands on him, the feeling of that knife- That knife digging into the flesh of his stomach each time he so much as whimpers. Then he's back in that room, being held down by a large form over top of him, that knife, that knife digging into him, cutting at his pale skin, dragging down his ribs in a teasing manner as he tells Oikawa- As he tells Oikawa who he belongs to, who owns him. 

And then Oikawa can smell the alpha's stench, the scent of overpowering cologne, and then he feels a hand at his throat, fingernails digging into his neck. And he can't breathe- Hecan'tbreathehecan'tbreathehecan'tbreathe and it's all too much and he's shaking and he's rocking back and forth on the ground and he can't- He just can't. 

Distantly, he can feel his own nails digging into his flesh, dragging down his arms over and over, and he can feel and smell blood, can feel it dripping down his arms and splattering on the floor. But it doesn't really register, he can't really feel the pain of it. All he knows is the feeling of being held down on the ground, of a body pressing against his, of a blade digging into his flesh over and over again. All he can think about is how the alpha stripped him with rough hands, how he forced him onto his stomach and took him, how he used him, how he defiled him-

Hecan'thecan'thecan't he can't-

He hears something off in the distance, something loud and and it makes him jump, makes him cry out. The noise grates at him, makes his ears ring and his chest tighten and makes him want to lash out and throw something. But he can't. He can't move he can't breathe, He just can't- 

He hears another noise, and then there are hands on him, on his shoulders, on his knees, on his arms. But these ones feel real, these ones are happening here, now. 

"No-!" Oikawa cries out, lashes out and kicks at the form that is hovering over him. There's a pained grunt, and the hands disappear for a mere moment before coming back. "Please! Please don't-" Oikawa wails, burrowing into himself and trying to shield himself. "Don't hurt me- I- I'll be good, just- Just-" 

Hands grab at Oikawa's, pulling them away from his bloodied arms, and Oikawa sobs, thrashes and tries to get the hands away from him. There's a voice, speaking to him and sounding panicked but Oikawa can't hear it. All he can hear is his own heartbeat pounding in his chest and his ragged, stuttering breaths as he begs, as he begs for the man to not hurt him, as he pleads, tells the man that he'll be good, just pleasepleasepleasePLEASEPLEASE don't hurt him. 

Then the hands move to his face, lifting his head up and an almost scared voice saying, "lookatmelookatme- shit, please just look at me-", and Oikawa does. Oikawa forces his eyes open out of pure fear that he'll be hurt if he doesn't obey, and his gaze meets brown eyes, runs over a straight nose and tan skin and dark hair and-

Daichi- It's DaichiDaichiDaichiDaichi. 

He looks so worried, so concerned and panicked and he's holding Oikawa's face in gentle hands and letting out a panicked scent and-

What is he doing here? How did he- how did he find where Oikawa lives fuck fuck fuckfuck- He's going to hurt Oikawa- He's going to kill Oikawa because Oikawa knows he's Yakuza and knows he's a killer and he's going to- Oikawa's going to die- He's going to diehe'sgoingtodiehe's- 

Then Oikawa's being pulled against a warm, broad chest. There's muscular arms around him, holding him close, so gentle, so warm, so kind- And Oikawa's still shakingshakingshaking but now there's a soothing scent, the same scent that had soothed him days earlier, and he's gripping at Daichi's jacket, listening to that soothing, deep, voice as Daichi tells him that he's okay, that he's safe, that Daichi won't hurt him. 

Oikawa isn't sure how long Daichi holds him for, how long it is before Oikawa manages to calm himself down enough that he can make himself pull away from the alpha. There's a light haze over his mind, still, and it makes it hard for him to think, makes it feel impossible for him to speak. He looks at Daichi and his mind just stops working. It's like there's a disconnect between his mind and his mouth and he just can't say what he needs to say, doesn't even remember what he wanted to say in the first place.

Daichi says something, but Oikawa can't quite catch it. He looks at Daichi with a confused little stare until the alpha repeats himself.

"Give me your hand." The alpha stands. Oikawa whimpers, afraid, but offers his hand to the alpha out of fear of being hurt if he doesn't do as told. Daichi grips his hand softly in his own, gently, and slowly pulls Oikawa to his feet. 

Daichi holds Oikawa's hand gently as he leads the omega out of the room on shaky legs, but the feeling of Daichi's skin on his is too much- it's makes him feel itchy and weird and he just wants to pull away and curl up in a corner as far away from Daichi as possible. But it also feels warm, and comforting, and nice. It makes Oikawa want to curl up in Daichi's arms and never let go. 

And that scares Oikawa a little bit.

Oikawa swallows down both urges, and just follows Daichi slowly, hesitantly, into the hallway. The alpha looks around for a moment, before seeing the bathroom door left open and leading Oikawa inside. 

Daichi has Oikawa sit down on the toilet lid, and lets go of his hand, shuffles over to the cupboard and starts digging around for something. The noise of cabnits and drawers opening makes Oikawa grimace and shake. It's to loud, too much, and it hurts- 

Then Daichi is closing the cabnit again, returning to Oikawa with the first aid kit in hand. Oikawa eyes him warily, confused until Daichi sets it on the counter and pulls out alcoholic wipes and a roll of bandages. 

Daichi has Oikawa turn to the side so that he can get easier access to Oikawa's arm, the alpha carefully gripping Oikawa's elbow as he wipes away drying crimson blood with one of the wipes. It stings, it hurts, it's too much and it makes Oikawa whimper and try to pull away. But Daichi doesn't let him, tries to be as gentle as possible as he cleans Oikawa's bloody bicep and then trails down to the drips of crimson on his forearm. Then he reached for the bandage, carefully winds it around Oikawa's arm, maybe a bit too tight. Then he does the same with the other arm.

Oikawa is sill shaking by the time Daichi is finished, but he's trying to calm himself. Trying to take deep, steady, breaths to ward off the ache in his lungs. His eyes still sting with tears, but he fights the urge to cry, just pulls his arms to his chest defensively when Daichi lets go. 

"How did you find out where I live?" Oikawa asks, voice wavering. He keeps his head tilted down, too afraid to meet Daichi's gaze. 

"I had Hajime look into the place you had him drop you off at; there's no record of you living there. With our resources, it wasn't that hard to find out where you actually live." Daichi answers nonchalantly, as if being to find out where people live so easily is such a normal thing. 

There's silence for a few moments, as Daichi packs up the first aid kit and returns it to it's place under the sink. Then he turns back to Oikawa, watches him with a worried quirk to his brow. 

"Do you want me to get you anything?" Daichi asks quietly; He noticed Oikawa's response to loud noises, and is trying to keep his voice quiet enough that it won't scare hin. "Water? Something to eat?" 

Oikawa just shakes his head, picks at the red flecks of drying blood underneath his fingernails and hunches his shoulders. It takes a few more moments, but then Oikawa steals himself, takes a deep breath and lifts his head. 

"I want you to leave." Oikawa says in all seriousness, his voice wavering at the end. Daichi's eyes widen in surprise. "I don't- I don't know you. I can't trust you. You need to leave my apartment and not come back." 

Daichi stares in shock for a moment, before his brows relax. He lifts his hand, and Oikawa flinches away with a scared whimper. The omega clenches his hands into fists, as if trying to prevent himself from shielding his head. 

"Shit- I wasn't-" Daichi runs his hand through his hair. "Yeah, I'll leave if you really want me to. But I can't just- I can't leave you alone after what I just saw." He shakes his head, thinks for a moment. "Do you have someone you can call? Someone you can trust to come check up on you?" 

Oikawa just stares at the floor for a few moments, before nodding and reaching into the pocket of his jeans. He pulls out a slip of paper, places it on the counter next to the alpha; Daichi can easily tell that Oikawa wants to avoid physical contact. He doesn't know if that's simply because of Daichi, or if he isn't a fan of it in general. 

Daichi picks up the slip of paper, eyes the numbers written in neat blue pen. Then he takes out his phone, surprised to find that his call is picked up on the second ring. 

"Hello? Who's this?" A soft, smooth, voice greets on the other end of the line. "Tooru, is that you? Did you get new phone?" 

Daichi tilts his head, eyes the frightened omega sitting on the toilet lid as he speaks. "No, I'm calling you for Oikawa, though. He's a bit distraught right now..?" 

There's a split second of silence, then, "What happened? Who are you?" 

"I think he had some sort of panic attack," Daichi explains, hears the sound of a door closing on the other end of the line. "I think he's okay now, but he's still a bit distressed. I don't want to leave him alone like this."

"Shit- You didn't answer my other question. Who are you?" Daichi huffs. 

"My name's Daichi. He gave me your number to call you so you could check up on him? I don't know him very well, so I don't-" There's another curse, and then the pounding of quick footsteps on pavement before the line goes dead. 

"I- um... I'm not sure if he's coming here or not. He hung up on me." Daichi moves to kneel in front of the omega as he speaks. "Do you still want me to leave?" 

Oikawa meets Daichi's gaze for a split second, shivers, and looked away. "Shige-chan will come," He murmurs voice wavering and eyes shining with more tears. "He always does." 

Ten minutes later, Daichi has somehow managed to get Oikawa to move into the livingroom. The omega is leaning his side against the armrest of the couch, boney knees brought up to his chest, face buried against them. 

Daichi stands awkwardly across the room, too worried about scaring the skiddish omega to approach. All of his instincts are screaming at him to pull the omega close, to hold him in his arms and scent him and comfort him. But Daichi knows that it could do more harm than good. 

He so clearly remembers when Suga first came to the syndicate. He had been scared, traumatized, mentally unstable. He has done and experienced so many terrible things, and Daichi has seen enough of Suga's panic attacks to know that being held can sometimes make it worse, that it can make you feel trapped and overwhelmed. So Daichi stays back, keeps an eye on Oikawa from afar. 

Now, Daichi takes time to really look at Oikawa, to really see him. He's gorgeous, Daichi doesn't think anybody would be able to disagree with that. But the thinness of his body, the bags under his eyes, the sharpness of his cheekbones. Those are features that make Daichi's brows furrow with concern. 

Daichi hasn't gotten a really good look around Oikawa's apartment, but he's seen enough to know that Oikawa isn't great on money. The apartment seems shabby at best, but well lived in. The couch Oikawa sits on is lumpy, looks as though it could fall apart any second. There's tears in the cushions and the blue colour has faded. The appliances in the kitchen are definitely old, the type that people would go to thrift stores to search for. From what he saw of the dirty dishes in the kitchen sink as he passed through the room, they're all mismatched, a few glasses chipped or cracked around the edges, a few plates even taped on the bottoms. 

Oikawa is worse off than Daichi had anticipated.

In a way, Daichi wants to help Oikawa, wants to protect him and help him financially and take care of him. But he reminds himself that he doesn't even know this omega. He recalls the way Oikawa had refused Daichi's help when he was so obviously in pain, the way he forces himself to be strong despite his vulnerability. People like that are stubborn; They don't like others - especially people they don't know - stepping into their business. 

Daichi is snapped out of his thoughts when the apartment door bursts open, and the sudden scent of an angry omega wafts into the room. The omega who enters - most likely the man Oikawa had referred to as "Shige-chan" - has light brown hair, round eyes, and looks as though he's about ready to kill. He looks at Oikawa's curled up position on the couch, looks at Daichi standing across the room, and sets his features into a stern look. 

"What did you do to him?" Shige asks automatically, and it's obvious that he's trying to reign in his anger for Oikawa's sake. Daichi realizes that Shige has probably seen Oikawa like this before. 

"I didn't do anything." Daichi explains, lifting up his hands. "I just came in and found him panicking. I tried to calm him down and patched him up. That's all." 

"You 'came in'?" Shige asks, crossing his arms over his chest. "What were you doing here in the first place-" He pauses. "Patched him up?" Shige storms towards Oikawa, pauses halfway across the room, takes a deep breath, and continues walking at a much slower, careful pace. Once he gets close to where Oikawa is seated, he kneels down, leans in and trails his eyes over the bandages along his arms, sees the blood under his nails and sighs lightly. 

"Tooru," Shige speaks softly, gently, and Daichi watches as Shige carefully takes Oikawa's hand in his, runs his thumb over Oikawa's knuckles when the other omega flinches. 

"Tooru, can you look at me, please?" Oikawa lets out a soft whimper, seems to curl further into himself as he shakes his head. "Tooru..." 

At that, Oikawa lifts his head just barely, just enough so that his eyes meet Shige's. There are tears building up and sliding down his cheeks, and Daichi can see Shige's lower lip quiver, as if he's trying to hold back tears, too. 

"Tooru, you promised," Shige murmurs lowly, almost soft enough that Daichi can't hear. "You promised you'd tell me if it got this bad again." 

Again? Daichi briefly wonders how long Oikawa has been struggling with this. He doesn't really have the time to dwell on it, because Shige turns to Daichi, hatred clear in his eyes. 

"You need to go." He tells the alpha. "Now." Shige moves to stand, but Oikawa reaches forward and clings to Shige's jacket, doesn't let him move away. "Leave and don't come back." 

Shige takes a deep breath, and continues. "I don't care that you saved Tooru from the hands of some gang. I don't care that you think he owes you now or whatever. " He steps towards Daichi, and Oikawa clings to him tighter, almost falling off the couch from how tightly he's holding the other omega. "He's not yours. You do not have the right to step into his life like this. He's dealing with too much to add your bullshit onto it, so just stay the fuck away from him." Shige's lips pull back in a snarl, a protective scent rolling off of him in waves. "I don't care about your wealth or your stupid Yakuza buddies. If you show up like this again, and he ends up in this state, I will fucking kill you." Shige's eyes shine bright with rage, and Daichi feels a flash of fear run through him. 

Daichi keeps a straight face as he speaks. 

"I'll keep that in mind." 

Despite how hard it is, Daichi turns, and makes his way out of the apartment. As he's stepping through the door, he looks back. For a split second, he meets Oikawa's gaze, and it looks as though he's struggling with the urge to reach out to Daichi. 

But Daichi turns and walks away. 

All that's on his mind as he steps down the hallway is:

Who is that other omega?

What is his relation to Oikawa? 

And, how much did Oikawa tell him, and how much danger will that put the both of them in?


	4. Fight or Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga's eyes widen for a moment, before they narrow into slits and his lips curl into an almost dark grin. "So, you can be tough when you feel like it, huh?" He cocks his hip to the side. "I shouldn't be surprised." 
> 
> "No," Oikawa shakes his head. "You shouldn't be." He pushes off the wall and takes a step towards the shorter omega. "This club is important to a lot of people. To Takeda-kun. To Shigeru. To me." He takes another step, until he's almost towering over Suga. 
> 
> "I don't care that you helped me once. If you're here because your boss is trying to stir something up, I won't settle for it. I won't let anything get in the way of those I care about. Especially not the omega of some Yakuza bosses lapdog."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a kind of short chapter for you guys! The next one should be quite a bit longer.
> 
> Enjoy!

"Tooru, I think we should move back in together." 

Oikawa barely needs to take a moment to think before he's shaking his head almost frantically. "Shige-chan, I'm fine!" Oikawa exclaims, sitting up from his place on the couch and turning to look at his friend. "I promise! It was just a little anxiety atta-" 

"Little?" Yahaba speaks with incredulousness in his voice. "Tooru, you dissociated so badly that you hurt yourself!" He motions to Oikawa's bandaged arms, doesn't even realize that he's raised his voice until Oikawa flinches away from him. 

"Shit-" Yahaba mutters, but then remembers that Oikawa hates it when Yahaba makes a big deal about him flinching away; It's something Oikawa just does, a self defense mechanism that has been ingrained in him for years. 

"I just- I'm worried about you, Okay?" Yahaba lowers his voice, makes it softer and more gentle. "I don't want things to get like they were before." 

Oikawa huffs and shakes his head. "They won't!" He promises. "They aren't! I'm just- I'm just a little shaken up about what happened. I'm okay, I promise!" 

Yahaba can see the lie in Oikawa's eyes, but he sighs, nods and leans back against the couch. "Fine," He tells his friend. "But if anything like that happens again, you have to tell me, okay?" 

Oikawa nods almost frantically. "Of course, Shige-chan!" 

\--

Daichi spends the next few days concerned and confused. 

He can't help remembering the way Oikawa had looked, so broken down and out of it, so scared when Daichi had tried to calm him. He remembers Oikawa crying and shaking, how he had begged Daichi not to hurt him even before he had realized that it was Daichi who was there. He remembers the state Oikawa had seemed to fall into, where his brain seemed almost fuzzy, as if he wasn't really there, wasn't really present in that moment in time. 

Then, Daichi remembers the other omega; Shige-chan, Oikawa had called him. 

Daichi remembers the protective scent rolling off of him in waves, the way he had threatened Daichi so seriously even though he knew that Daichi is a dangerous man. 

He knows. 

Does that mean Oikawa told him? That he told this omega despite him being specifically told not to tell anyone? There's so many things that Daichi needs to consider, but he can only really think of one thing. 

What is Shige's relationship with Oikawa? 

They didn't seem to be family; Usually family members have similar scents, but theirs were far too different. Yet, at the same time, their scents had mingled together so easily, as though they has been scenting each other for years. They had seemed close; closer than just ordinary friends. The fact that Oikawa trusted Shige enough to let the omega touch him when he was in such a state says that much. Oikawa is a stubborn person; He wouldn't let just any friend touch him that way. 

That leaves only one possibility Daichi can think of. 

They're together. 

It makes sense. Oikawa is a gorgeous, strong omega. Daichi has never smelt an alpha on Oikawa before, and the closeness Oikawa and Shige shared could only be that of a couple. 

Relationships between omega's were uncommon, but not exactly rare. Lots of omega's choose to be with those of their own sex, instead of dealing with the possessiveness of alphas. It's easier to be with another omega, to be with someone who understands you in a way that an alpha can't. 

But that almost seems... wrong. 

Maybe it's just Daichi's jealous side speaking, but there was something that just made him think that there was no way the two omega's were a couple. Maybe it was the lack of personal items in Oikawa's apartment; Couples - especially those as close as the two - would put up pictures of them on the walls of their apartment, wouldn't they? And Shige's scent should've been in Oikawa's apartment, but there wasn't a hint of it there, as though Shige hadn't been there in a long time. 

So, despite Shige's threat, Daichi decides that, no matter what, he was going to learn more about the mystery that is Oikawa Tooru. 

\-- 

A week after returning to his apartment, Oikawa goes back to work. 

A few of Oikawa's frequent customers are quick to approach him when he takes back to the streets, telling him just how much he was missed, how none of the other omegas in the area compare to him. Usually, Oikawa would find this flattering to have people practically lining up for his services. But now, it's just draining. 

Oikawa can't do much; His leg still makes it hard to walk properly, and his ribs are still sore, but some of his customers are so happy for his return that they don't care that he is in too much pain to go all the way. A few are disgruntled by it, of course, but they still pay him for what they are given. 

Then, a few days after Oikawa's return to the streets, he goes to MOC with Yahaba in search of a few customers for the night. 

Takeda has gotten used to Oikawa coming by a long time ago. Most club owners would kick out any prostitute who came in looking for clients. But Takeda is a kind beta, who has been aware of Oikawa and his situation ever since Yahaba started working there. He lets Oikawa do as he pleases, mainly because the customers who take a liking to Oikawa usually try to win his attention with a few drinks from the bar. 

This time, when Oikawa enters, there's a new sense of energy; a bit overwhelming compared to the usually muted atmosphere. 

"What's going on?" Oikawa asks Yahaba as he meets up with him at the bar, a bit surprised by the sound of cheering voices among those in the crowd. Oikawa had just finished a few rounds around the neighbourhood, came in to get a drink with Yahaba before the younger goes up for his next dance of the evening.

"The new guy," Yahaba explains, huffing a small laugh that can barely be heard over the music. "He's a gorgeous mated omega who has everybody drooling over him." Yahaba points to the stage that most of the club patrons are gathered around. "There he is; Sugawara Koushi." 

Oikawa's eyes follow where Yahaba's hand is pointing, finds himself staring at a small, curvy omega with soft silver hair, long legs, and a very familiar beauty mark next to a heavily made-up eye. 

"That's-" Oikawa finds himself gripping hard at the bar before he can stop himself. "That's the guy from Daichi's- That's-" 

Yahaba instantly turns to him, eyes alight with concern. 

"Wait- Sugawara is the omega who is bonded to Daichi's right hand?" Oikawa nods almost frantically, and then Yahaba is grabbing Oikawa's hand, pulling him away from the bar in into the quieter back corner of the club. 

"Are you sure?" Yahaba questions. "I mean- If Sugawara's alpha is Yakuza, there's no way he'd be allowed to work in a place like this. Oikawa-" 

"It's him." Oikawa tells him, completely serious. "It's the same hair, same beauty mark, same face. Same everything! Besides, he told me to call him 'Suga' while I was there." 

Yahaba pauses to think for a moment, and is just about to say something when the song Sugawara is dancing to comes to an end, and they watch as the silver haired omega jumps off the stage with a brilliant grin on his face. He seems to notice Oikawa and Yahaba, even from across the room, and his smile falters for a mere moment before he breaks through the crowd and approaches them. 

"Oikawa, hey!" Suga greets just as the next dancer arrives on stage and his music begins to play. For a split second, it looks as though Suga is about to hug Oikawa, but he sees the look on the brunet's face and stops himself. 

"What are you doing here?" Suga asks, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He glances at Yahaba. "I didn't know you two know each other." 

Oikawa and Yahaba shoot each other a look before Yahaba speaks. 

"We're brothers." Yahaba tells him. It's only a half-lie, technically, since they've always been like family to each other. It's an explanation they've used many times when people ask how they know each other. 

"Really? But you don't smell like-" 

"Half brothers." Oikawa forces out between clenched teeth. His arms are crossed instinctively over his chest, his back against the wall. 

"What are you doing here?" Oikawa asks Suga, anger bleeding into his voice. "You have a perfectly wealthy alpha, so why do you feel the need to work in a place like this?" Suga's eyes shoot back and forth between the two brunets, as though trying to figure out exactly how much Oikawa has told Yahaba. Then, he sighs, and his shoulders slump. 

"You really couldn't keep yourself from telling him?" Suga questions with an almost disappointed shake of his head. "You know this puts the both of you in danger, right?" 

"Your boss already knows that I know." Yahaba states, moving so that his shoulder is pressed against Oikawa's. "He found out when he broke into Tooru's apartment and called me to deal with the aftermath." 

Suga quirks a finely shaped brow in confusion. Suga opens his mouth to speak, but then he notices Takeda approaching and closes it. 

"Yahaba-kun, there's a couple of guys in one of the back rooms who payed for a dance. Can you take it?" 

Yahaba sighs, giving Oikawa a reassuring look before nodding and stepping away. Takeda greets Oikawa with a small smile before returning back to the bar to help take orders. 

"So what are you doing here?" Oikawa repeats now that they're alone. "And if you say you're just here to work, I'll go over there and tell Takeda-kun exactly who you are. He'll fire you in an instant. Well, if he doesn't have you arrested, first." 

Suga's eyes widen for a moment, before they narrow into slits and his lips curl into an almost dark grin. "So, you can be tough when you feel like it, huh?" He cocks his hip to the side. "I shouldn't be surprised." 

"No," Oikawa shakes his head. "You shouldn't be." He pushes off the wall and takes a step towards the shorter omega. "This club is important to a lot of people. To Takeda-kun. To Shigeru. To me." He takes another step, until he's almost towering over Suga. 

"I don't care that you helped me once. If you're here because your boss is trying to stir something up, I won't settle for it. I won't let anything get in the way of those I care about. Especially not the omega of some Yakuza bosses lapdog." 

There's a flash of anger in Suga's eyes, and a split second where Oikawa thinks Suga is about to jump him. Then, the shorter omega's smile returns to its usual sweet grin. 

"Now I understand why Dai is so infatuated by you." Suga moves away from Oikawa, standing closer to the corner where he's unlikely to be heard by anybody but Oikawa. "Every time we think we're figuring you out, you surprise us again." 

Oikawa moves closer to Suga again, figuring that their little stand-off is over. 

"Okay," Suga huffs. "Since I like you, I'll tell you why I'm here." He takes a deep breath, as though he's trying to figure out where to start. 

"You heard about the disappearances in the area, right? The omegas who went missing last month?" Suga pauses, and Oikawa nods his head. 

"One of the omegas who went missing if Yamaguchi Tadashi; The mate of one of the alphas in Dai's circle." Suga pulls out his phone, unlocks it and pulls up the photo of a sweet looking omega with shoulder length brown hair pulled back in a bun, freckles and an innocent smile. "When he went missing, he was one of the dancers here. He had just quit, on good terms with Takeda. Do you know why?" 

Oikawa lets his eyes roam over the picture, vaguely remembering seeing the boy around. He shakes his head. 

"He's pregnant." Suga tells Oikawa. "He quit because his alpha decided he would be safer at home. Takeda asked that he at least works a few more nights before leaving, and he agreed. On his last night, he just vanished." 

"Just like that?" Oikawa asks. "No one saw him leave with anybody?" 

Suga shrugs. "He's still early in his pregnancy, so he kept disappearing to the bathroom a lot. When he didn't show up for his last dance of the night, they just figured he was sick. He wasn't in the bathroom when they looked for him, and they didn't realize he had gone missing until his alpha called the next morning to ask where he was." 

"So you're here to find the missing omega of one of Daichi's buddies?" Oikawa asks almost incredulously. "That doesn't make much sense; I doubt anybody here had anything to do with it. It was probably some crazy customer who heard it was his last night and freaked out."

Suga shakes his head. "He's the omega of an important member of the syndicate; omegas who are with members of the syndicate are attacked all the time. Just four years ago, the bo- the mate of another circle member went missing and was found dead a few months later. They're always covered up with the disappearances of a bunch of other omegas, so that they're not focused on by the authorities." 

"But what does that have to do with you?" Oikawa asks. "If syndicate omegas are only kidnapped once every couple years, whats the point of getting into it now?" 

"Another syndicate omega was taken just a few weeks ago, from this same club. Shibayama Yuuki." Suga explains. "His mate was also in Dai's circle. Which means that someone is targeting the mates of those closest to Dai. And since Hajime is Daichi's right hand man..." 

It only takes Oikawa a second to understand. 

"You're acting as bait." Oikawa realizes. "But isn't that too dangerous? What if you get taken, too?" 

Suga laughs, something dark and almost sinister glinting in his eyes. "I've been around long enough to know how to take care of myself," Suga tells Oikawa. "Besides, I have backup." He gestures to a table a few metres away, where a blond alpha with a piercing gaze sits, eyes trained on Suga and Oikawa. 

"He's part of the syndicate?" Oikawa asks, eyes roaming over the muscular figure. 

Suga nods. "Ken has specific orders from both Dai and Haji to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. And, if anyone tries to take or hurt me, he has express permission to take them down." 

Oikawa sighs, giving himself a few moments to think. 

"Just... promise me to leave Shigeru and Takeda out of this." Oikawa asks. "They're too kind to get swept up in all of this, and I can't let them get hurt." 

Oikawa and Suga both glance over at the bar, where Takeda is showing one of the new bartenders how to properly make a mixed drink with a tender smile on his face. He doesn't even seem upset when the young alpha struggles, just helps him try again. 

"I'll do my best." 

\--

An hour later, Oikawa is walking back home from the club, arms wrapped around himself to ward off the cold, when a car pulls up next to him. It stops, and the drivers side window is rolled down. Oikawa glances over, sees Daichi peeking out at him. 

"What are you doing here?" Oikawa asks, forcing his features to form a glare despite his heart pounding in his chest at the sight of the alpha. 

"Suga texted me," Daichi explains. "He said you were leaving the club, so I figured I would find you somewhere between there and your apartment." Daichi parks his car on the side of the empty street and steps out. "I wanted to ask you something." 

"Do you Yakuza have no sense of self preservation?" Oikawa asks with a huff. "First, Suga-chan acting as bait for kidnappers. Now you, stalking me, even though Shigeru threatened to kill you if you came near me again." 

"Shigeru," Daichi snorts. "That omega's a fiesty one, isn't he?" There's a flash of something a little bit like pride on Oikawa's face. 

"I was wondering," Daichi continues. "What are you doing next saturday night?" 

Oikawa quirks a brow in slight amusement. 

"What does it matter?" Daichi doesn't say anything, and Oikawa huffs. 

"Working," Oikawa tells the alpha. "The usual. A couple handy's in McDonald's bathrooms, maybe a blowjob behind the coffee shop down the street. Y'know. Prostitute stuff." Oikawa can't help the irritation that bleeds into his voice. Daichi gives him a shocked look. "What? Is that surprising to you? don't act like you don't know what I am." 

He takes a step towards Daichi, eyes shining with anger. "Do I disgust you, Daichi?" He says it with pure venom in the tone of his voice. 

"No!" Daichi exclaims. "Thats not-" Daichi takes a deep breath, then sighs. "I want to get to know you," Daichi tells him. "There's a big party at the estate on Saturday. It's a city afair; nothing Yakuza related. I've been donating to this charity for the last few months and we're holding a fundraiser party. I was wondering if you'd like to come." 

"Why? So your Yakuza buddies can use me for their own pleasure?" Oikawa snorts, the part about it being a charity fundraiser passing straight through him. "Sorry. I'm not that desperate." 

He's about to turn away, walk down the sidewalk and leave Daichi standing there. But the alpha reaches out for Oikawa's hand. Before the omega can stop himself, he's flinching away. 

"Don't- Don't fucking touch me." Oikawa forces himself away from Daichi before the alpha can try to reach for him again. "I don't like being touched. I only put up with it at work- just- don't." 

If Oikawa were to look at Daichi, he'd see genuine concern in the alpha's eyes. But instead, Oikawa keeps his gaze firmly on the sidewalk below his feet. 

"I'm sorry," Daichi tells him, and Oikawa would believe that Daichi was sincere in his apology, if he hadn't heard that same tone of voice in so many other alphas before. Daichi isn't sorry. Daichi is probably going to do it again. Daichi is going to hurt him one day. Just like all the other men Oikawa has ever let himself get close to. 

"I have to go." Oikawa says, beginning to walk away. This time, Daichi doesn't grab him. Instead, he moves to stand in front of Oikawa, though his hands stay firmly behind his back. 

"I'm not trying to take advantage of you." Daichi tells the disbelieving omega. "I really want to get to know you." Oikawa halts his footsteps, but keeps his gaze firmly on the ground. "The party is a completely public event, just a dinner party for the pretentious assholes of the city to gather and pretend to be upstanding citizens. It's just a charity event. Nothing more." 

"I-" Oikawa pauses, takes a moment to really think it over. 

"I don't have anything that I could wear to an event like that." Oikawa admits. 

There's a soft laugh. "That's fine. I can take care of that." Oikawa finally meets his gaze with a quirked brow. "Suga has this tendancy to buy really fancy clothes that always ends up being too big for him. I think he just likes wasting Hajime's money, but he never tells Suga to stop. I'll see if he has anything nice in your size, and send it to you." He pauses. "Is that okay with you?" 

Oikawa looks down and away again, steps to the side so he can pass by Daichi. He's a few feet down the sidewalk when he stops, doesn't turn back around as he says;

"I'm only going for the food," Oikawa's voice comes out slightly strained. "And I expect you to pick me up." 

There's another laugh, and Oikawa swears he can hear a smile in his voice as Daichi speaks. 

"Of course." 

\--

"So, Sugawara is working at MOC to investigate the disappearances of Tadashi and Yuki," Yahaba states for clarification as he walks back into the livingroom, dinner in hand. "And it just so happens that they're both mated to members of Daichi's inner circle?" 

Oikawa nods, accepting the udon when it is held out to him. "They were taken BECAUSE they're mated to members of Daichi's inner circle." Oikawa emphasizes. "It's like... the people who are kidnapping the omegas are trying to incapacitate Daichi's closest companions by stealing their mates, so that Daichi will be all alone and they can take him down easily." 

"Well, I doubt all of the alphas in Daichi's circle are mated, right? I mean, how many members are there, anyway? I doubt there's that many omegas willing to give their lives away to some Yakuza member." 

"I don't think its like that..." Oikawa murmurs around a bite of his food. Yahaba quirks an eyebrow at him, and Oikawa swallows before speaking again. 

"I don't think it's like... giving your life away." Oikawa tells Yahaba. "At least, not much more than any other bond." Yahaba doesn't seem to believe him, so Oikawa continues speaking. "I've been talking with Suga quite a bit since the other night, and I think he really does love Hajime." He takes another bite. "Suga seems to have a life outside of the syndicate, too. He has friends that he meets with weekly for lunch, and he takes all these different types of lessons. He seems... free. He doesn't have to worry about being able to pay his bills or buy food or anything like that. He... He seems to love the life he has." 

Oikawa doesn't realize he is rambling until he sees the shocked look on Yahaba's face. They're quiet for some time after that, just eating in silence. Then; 

"Is that the kind of life you want?" Yahaba asks. "To be bonded to some rich alpha, so you never have to worry about money ever again?" 

Oikawa bristles, about ready to defend himself, but Yahaba continues to speak. 

"You've been a hard worker all your life, Tooru. You've always been responsible for yourself, ever since we've known each other. So I understand why you'd want something like that." Yahaba takes another bite of his food, swallows before continuing. "But I doubt Suga's life is all that easy. Suga is mated to the right hand of a Yakuza boss, for christ sake. There's so much danger in a bond like that. And from what I've heard, omegas have died for those kinds of bonds." 

Oikawa stays silent for a few moments, just stares down into his now empty bowl. 

"It doesn't matter." Oikawa says eventually. "It's not like I'll ever find an alpha to bond with, anyways. I'm the kind of omega who is meant to be alone, and I'm okay with that." 

Oikawa stands from the couch, moves into the kitchen and drops the bowl into the sink. 

"I'm going to bed." He tells Yahaba without looking at him, a twinge of anger in his voice. "You can show yourself out." 

Oikawa retreats to his bedroom, changes clothes, and falls onto his futon with a huff. He wraps his blanket tightly around him, but finds himself unable to sleep. 

Oikawa isn't sure how long he lays there, before he hears the sound of movement in the livingroom; He figures Yahaba is getting ready to leave. Instead, the door of his bedroom creaks open just a crack, and a sniffly Yahaba crawls onto his futon and curls himself around Oikawa. 

Oikawa ignores him, pretends to be asleep so that he can avoid conversation. 

He's angry. 

But, in the end, he may give in to the warmth of Yahaba's body. He may or may not let Yahaba join him under the blanket, and may or may not pull the younger omega to his chest. 

And maybe, they both fall asleep like that. Just like they used to. 

\--

The nightmares come back. 

Well, it used to be one nightmare. The same dream, over and over, every single night. 

It always starts with a walk down a dark hallway. Even now, years later, he can still so clearly remember the fading, torn wallpaper, the stained carpet that must have once been a vibrant shade of red. 

He walks down that hallway for what feels like hours, days, months, years. He never knows where he is going, what he is looking for. 

Not until he gets there. 

The door at the end of the hall is tall, imposing, made of dark wood, the surface scratched away from years of being in this terrible building. He always finds himself staring at it, tracing his eyes over each scratch in the wood, as though trying to memorize it. There's a number, engraved into a thin plate of metal attached to the door just at eye level. But Oikawa can't read it. He never can. He sees the number, three digits painted white, but he can never tell what it says. 

His mind is always preoccupied by what is happening, just inside this door. 

Even now, he can hear the screams, the cries, the begging. He can hear the deep, rough voice, the sound of a struggle. 

And like Oikawa always does, he reaches out, turns the brass doorknob, and pushes the door open. 

The sight he finds is one that always brings terror up his spine, makes coldness seep into his bones and makes his throat run dry. 

The room before him is pitch black, far too dark to see any furniture or decoration; That's his own fault, really. He has always been to preoccupied to pay attention. 

But on the floor in front of him, are two figures, luminous compared to the rest of the room; his dream is telling him where to look, where his attention should be drawn. 

As if the scene could ever not draw his attention. 

Naked on the hardwood floor, crying and bleeding from wounds covering his pale body, is an omega. He's tall and thin, with curled brown hair and bruised skin. Above him is a large form, an alpha; muscular, broad, and dangerous. He's holding the omega down on the ground. Cutting him, using him, defiling him. 

The omega's cries make Oikawa's ears ring, make him feel as though his head could explode at any moment. He hears the omega's crying, his begging. He sees the tears streaming down his cheeks and the blood dripping from his forehead, from one of his knees, from his stomach and sides. 

"Please!" The omega wails, voice high pitched and desperate out of fear. "Stop! Stop, please- It hurts- It hurts, I-" 

Then that deep voice speaks again, cutting the omega off. "You keep your fucking mouth shut!" A hand reaches out, grabs the omega by his chocolate coloured hair and slams his head against the hardwood floor, once, twice, three times. The omega's sobs just grow louder. Blood drips from the omega's nose, cascading over cracked and bitten lips, landing on the floor. It mixes with the blood that is already there, with his tears and with his sweat. 

And now Oikawa can feel it. He can feel the pain of being slammed against the hardwood floor in his own skull, can feel the blood dripping down his face. He looks down, finds that his previously white shirt has become dark red, sopping up his own blood from wounds that weren't previously there. 

When Oikawa turns his eyes back to the scene before him, the omega is slumped against the ground, no longer able to put up a fight. But his eyes, chocolate brown orbs shining with tears, look up at him. They meet Oikawa's eyes, and suddenly Oikawa is overwhelmed by the pain, by the terror, by the feeling of being used and defiled and destroyed. 

Because it's him. 

And this is where the dream changes, where it morphs into something new and all the more terrible. Because not only is Oikawa watching his younger self,as he was raped by that alpha all those years ago. It's worse. It's worse, because right before Oikawa's eyes, the form of the alpha changes. Green eyes turn into brown ones. A crooked nose becomes straight, and pale skin becomes tan and smooth. 

And now, the man who had attacked Oikawa, all those years ago, takes the form of Daichi. 

The monster of a man changes. He changes until he has kind brown eyes that turn cold with rage and the desire to destroy. He changes so that his broad body takes the form of Daichi; slightly shorter, but more muscular. Stronger arms, stronger legs. For a brief moment, Oikawa sees clear, tan skin. Then, it's covered in blood. His skin, his clothes, his face, covered in Oikawa's blood. 

And Oikawa screams.


	5. Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi leads Oikawa through the throngs of people gathering in the room, towards the table that was meant only for Daichi and his closest associates. They barely make it a few more steps, however, before two large figures rush at them, grabbing at Oikawa as the omega lets out a surprised scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's been a while, hasn't it? I promise I have been writing! I just haven't updated this fic specifically! As an apology and a kind-of gift, here's a playlist I (with the help of a few friends) made for this au. Feel free to listen to it while you read!
> 
>  Please remember to comment! Your comments fuel my ability to write chapters faster!
> 
>  
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx9J9EBDTpE&list=PLZ44YW9lJavg_JMuw6pVr4Q6KP_WiW4oa&index=6

Oikawa wakes with a terrible, horrifying scream. The noise tears out of his throat and rips through the air, making Oikawa become breathless almost immediately. He sits up with a loud cry, finds that he isn't in that dark apartment, late that night, being terrorized and defiled. His in his own apartment, on his own shitty futon. He looks down, finds that his shirt is no longer soaked with the crimson of his blood, just damp with sweat from when he must have been thrashing in his sleep.

Oikawa is startled by a loud noise, the sound of someone knocking on his apartment door. He calls out, telling them he'll be right there, but the knocking continues.

With a huff, Oikawa stands on shaky legs, nearly falls back over when his vision swims and his head pounds. Briefly, he remembers watching himself as his head was smashed against the hardwood floor. But he knows that's just a memory. The pain must be from just another migrain.

Oikawa stumbles down the hallway, doesn't realize that the knocking has ceased until he's standing at his door. He recalls his dream again, remembers the terrible sight that he had seen when he opened the door. With a shaking hand, he pulls open the door.

Nobody.

The hallways is empty.

With a confused furrow of his brows, Oikawa steps out of his apartment just slightly, looking both ways and seeing that the hallway is empty. When his bare foot comes in contact with something, Oikawa looks down, and his heart pounds in his chest.

A cardboard box.

Oikawa stares at the box, medium sized, barely up to his ankles, and finds himself shuddering. He stares at it, and remembers those first few months after the attack. He remembers the terror seeping into his veins whenever the mail was dropped off, and Oikawa would find a package among the letters and bills. He was always terrified; terrified that he would open the package and would find some reminder of the attack, a taunt from the attacker. Something that would tell Oikawa that the alpha knew where he lives, that he would come for him.

Oikawa picks up the box, finds that it's lighter than expected. He backs into his apartment, closes and locks the door, and makes his way into the kitchen. Carefully, he places the box on the table, moves to the drawer just to the right of the sink in search of a pair of scissors to cut through the thick strip of tape keeping the box shut.

With careful, but shaky, hands, Oikawa cuts away the tape, pulls open the cardboard flaps of the box and finds...

Fabric?

Clothing.

Delicately, Oikawa pulls the articles out of the box and unfolds them, lays them out on the table so that he can get a good look.

Its a dress; A two piece one, from the looks of it. The top is long sleeved with a high neckline, the top layer of fabric made of lace with a thicker, less revealing layer that starts just above where the curves of breasts would be on a woman. The top looks as though it ends just above the bellybutton.

The bottom is a long, flowy skirt. The fabric of it matches that of the top's inner layer, thick and soft as Oikawa runs his hand over it. There's a slit in the skirt, and Oikawa figures that it's meant to go up to just above the knee. Oikawa lets his eyes roam over the dress, over the way the white of the top gradients into a soft pink that turns into a darl, crimson. red as it flows down the skirt.

It's simple, but gorgeous. Definitely good quality.

And probably costs more than all of Oikawa's monthly bills combined.

Oikawa looks back into the box, finds a folded up slip of paper that he hadn't noticed before. He picks it up, unfolds it and realizes that it's a note.

'Oikawa,

As promised, I found something for you to wear tonight. I didn't know what you might like so I had Suga help me choose. I had one of my men drop it off, since I know you'd prefer that I didn't show up at your apartment without notice.

I'll be there at seven to pick you up.

\- Daichi'

Daichi.

The dress is from Daichi.

Oikawa remembers the conversation he had with the alpha the other day, when he had showed up in his car while Oikawa was on his way home from MOC. He remembers the sincerity in the alpha's gaze.

Then, his thoughts flashback to his dream.

Oikawa remembers watching in terror as the body of his attacker turned into Daichi. He remembers the look of desire on his face in the dream; the desire to destroy, to defile. He remembers the sight of Daichi covered in blood. Oikawa's blood.

Had the dream been a warning? Had it been his subconcsious telling him that Daichi isn't to be trusted? Or just a manifestation of his own anxiety?

Oikawa remembers the earliest of the nightmares, in the first few months after Oikawa had been raped; the ones where it wasn't his body that he was watching on that dingy hardwood floor, but Yahaba's; the body of the only person Oikawa could say he loved. He had been forced, in his dreams, to live out his worst fear; To watch Yahaba be hurt, and used, and broken, and to be unable to stop it. To be unable to do anything more than stand there as Yahaba cried, begged, pleaded, and then blacked out from the pain.

At the time, Oikawa had thought that it was a warning, that it meant that Yahaba would be attacked by the same man who had raped Oikawa. But in the end, nothing of the sort had happened.

Even if it isn't a warning, Oikawa knows that Daichi can not be trusted. He may come off as sweet, and caring and kind. He may have those gorgeous chocolate brown eyes, which have never looked at Oikawa with more than sincerity. He may have those rough, calloused, but oh-so gentle hands that held Oikawa close during his panic attack, which had carefully cleaned and bandaged his cuts. He may have that scent, the soothing scent of chopped wood and apples, the scent that Oikawa finds himself thinking about late at night as he lies in bed, caught up in memories of the past, thoughts of the future.

He's kind, and gentle, and sincere.

But Daichi can't be trusted.

Because he's an alpha.

Because he's the boss of a Yakuza syndicate.

Because he's a killer.

A monster.

He can't be trusted.

Oikawa doesn't even know why he agreed to go to that stupid charity fundraiser to begin with. It's just a ploy, just a ruse to get Oikawa to let Daichi take him back to the estate. So that Daichi can take advantage of him, can use him like so many other men have.

Maybe... Oikawa is curious. Maybe he wants to know more about Daichi; About the kind, sincere alpha with gentle brown eyes. Wants to know more about the strange, strange Yakuza boss. Maybe he wants to know more about his men; About Suga, and Iwaizumi, about the missing omegas, maybe even more about the alpha who protects Suga at MOC. Ken, Oikawa thinks.

Oikawa wants to know more.

But curiosity is never a good thing.

Not when you're Oikawa Tooru.

But this time, Oikawa decides, fuck it. He already said he would go, already has the dress. Daichi is going to show up at his apartment at seven no matter what he decides, anyways. He might as well do it. Might as well take the chance of a night of fun while it's offered to him.

It can only end in pain for an omega like Oikawa. But for tonight; for one, measly night, he decides to not give a fuck.

Well, that's easier said than done.

Oikawa finds himself giving plenty of fucks.

The day passes in a blur of anxiety, of terrified thoughts about what could happen, about Daichi, about the party. He worries that maybe his rapist will be there, that he'll - for some reason - be at the party. That he'll see Oikawa and Oikawa will see him. That Oikawa will end up having a panic attack there in front of everybody, or that he'll be lured away into some dark corner just to be hurt and defiled again, just like last time. He worries that maybe he'll discover the truth about Daichi, that he'll realize that Daichi is just a disgusting, terrible alpha. That he's cruel and evil and that his only intentions are to hurt Oikawa.

But his greatest fear is that none of that will happen. His greatest fear is that Daichi will pick him up, that they'll go the estate and he'll find that the party is real, that it's exactly as Daichi said it was. His greatest fear is that they'll eat, talk, maybe even dance a bit. He'll find that Daichi really is the nice guy he comes off to be, that they'll get along. That, maybe, he'll even like Daichi.

He's afraid.

He's afraid that everything will go perfectly; that he'll like Daichi and Daichi will like him and they'll talk and laugh and have a good time and then Daichi will take him home like a polite gentleman. Maybe Daichi will even kiss Oikawa on his doorstep like in all of those movies Oikawa and Yahaba used to sneak into the theatre to watch when they were teens.

He's afraid that he and Daichi will continue to see each other after the party. That they'll hang out and go on dates and that they'll just start liking each other more, and more, and more.

And then Oikawa will fall.

He'll fall for the Yakuza boss.

And he doesn't want that.

By the time Oikawa manages to snap out of his flurry of anxious thoughts, it's already five thirty. He needs to shower, and shave, and get ready.

Oikawa decides to take his time in the shower, to clean his body with the pleasantly scented bodywash that he only uses for special occasions; It's too expensive to buy a new bottle every couple weeks, so he usually just settles with cheap bar soap.

He shaves and then washes his legs, trails his fingers over his knee. The bruises from weeks ago are completely faded, aside from the slightest bit of discoloration left over. But the scar is still there, the one from that night all those years ago. Oikawa remembers exactly how he had gotten the scar; He had tried to flee, had tried to grab the knife away from his rapist so that he could protect himself. But he had already been injured, was too weak to make it to the door on his own. He remembers when the knife was ripped out of his hands, when Oikawa's rapist had slashed at his leg with it and made him fall to the ground, just feet from the door.

Just feet from freedom.

Oikawa doesn't really remember how he had made it out. All he remembers is waking up in a dumpster, in an alleyway near where Oikawa and Yahaba used to live with a group of other homeless people. He remembers stumbling home, aching and tired and scared, falling to his knees at the door of their apartment with barely the energy left in him to knock.

He vaguely remembers Yahaba stitching him up, hands shaky but gentle as he had done his best to take care of Oikawa's wounds. He had promised Oikawa that everything would be okay, that Oikawa was safe.

Oikawa snaps himself out of those thoughts, doesn't let himself get lost in the past. Instead, he finishes washing his body, massaging the bodywash into his skin with his white shower puff, trailing his free hand along the with the water to then wash it away.

Once finished, he shampoo's his hair and then rinses, uses the tiniest bit of conditioner possible and repeats the process. He steps out of the shower, then. He pats his body dry with a towel, careful of his ribs, which are still sore, before moving to dry his hair.

When he moves into his room to get dressed, he takes a moment to pause at his underwear drawer.

Should he put in the effort to wear something nice under the dress? It's not like he plans to have sex, so it shouldn't really matter, right? Then he remembers the slit in the dress, decides that simply wearing a pair of boxers isn't a good idea; Even the slightest movement that makes the skirt ride up would make them visible. So, Oikawa settles on a pair of black panties; The type of underwear that Oikawa owns only because some of his clients request it of him; They like the feminine look of it, even if it's just going to be removed right away anyways.

Oikawa picks up the top of the dress from where he had left it on the bed, slips it on and find that it fits; It's a bit loose around the waist, but Oikawa figures that's how it was designed. He then slips into the skirt, looks at himself in the old, cracked mirror across from him on the wall.

He looks okay, he supposes. You can tell the dress isn't his, that it isn't meant for him. It's too nice, to pretty. And Oikawa is thin, lanky, too obviously uncomfortable in his own body. His collarbones are far too visible under the white lace of the top, his shoulders so boney that you can see it even through the sleeves. When Oikawa adjusts his leg so that it's just visible through the slit, his scarred up knee is clearly visible, boney and ugly with that disgusting scar running over it.

And then Oikawa notices it, realizes something he hadn't even thought about before.

Oikawa's stomach is visible.

It's not a whole lot, just a rough inch and a half along his midriff. But it's visible. Enough that Oikawa's scars are visible. They're deep and raised and stand out so obviously, even on his pale skin. Oikawa trails his eyes over them, over the lines of faded purple that are slowly turning white with years of healing, over one that starts at his pelvic bone, hidden underneath the skirt, and trails up until it disappears under the top. He knows exactly how all of his scars look underneath his clothes, has spent days just running his hands over them, memorizing the look and feel of them and wishing he could forget their cause.

But Oikawa wont give himself time to wallow. Not tonight. For once in his life, he's going to try to focus on something other than his past, something other than his crappy childhood which turned into a crappy teenhood which is turning into an even crappier adulthood.

So Oikawa makes his way back to the bathroom, finds the little bottle of cover up he still has, which he use to use to cover the faint scars left on his neck, the ones left over from months of scratching, of digging his nails into his skin over and over during his many panic attacks, tearing at the skin above his scent glands in desperation. The scars were mostly faded now, enough that you wouldn't really notice them unless you got up close to Oikawa's neck.

But the ones on his stomach were still so visible.

Oikawa covers them up to the best of his ability, finds that the raised scars will be visible no matter what he does. In the end, he decides that he's done the best he can, prays that nobody will notice. He sets the makeup, then moves back to his room to find shoes. The only possible pair is a pair of white heels that were a gift from one of the dancers at MOC; He was quitting, decided he didn't need the heals anymore, but didn't want to throw them away. They were the same shoe size, so now they belong to Oikawa.

Wonderful.

As if Oikawa needs to be any taller. He already stands out enough as it is.

Oikawa is just slipping the shoes onto his feet when there's a knock on the door, drawing his attention immediately. Before Oikawa can help it, he feels nerves bubbling up in his chest. His palms sweat and his heart pounds loudly in his ears.

"C-Coming!" Oikawa calls out, cursing himself for the stutter.

Oikawa's heels click on the hardwood floors as he steps towards the door, and Oikawa pauses to grab a light jacket; He doesn't care if it doesn't go with the dress. It's fucking cold out there.

Oikawa pulls open the door with a shaking hand, finds Daichi standing before him. For a moment, their eyes just trail over each other.

Daichi's short hair seems to have been trimmed about an inch, the slight bit of stubble that had been growing along his jaw shaved away. He's wearing an expensive looking suit; Dark red fitted jacket and pants, black shirt underneath with a startlingly white tie. Something about the way Daichi is standing seems off, his arms slightly away from his sides. When Daichi shifts on his feet, his unbuttoned suit jacket shifts too, revealing two gold-plated guns strapped to the holster he's wearing under his jacket.

It takes Oikawa a mere moment to realize that they match; That the crimson of Daichi's suit is the same shade and hue as the darkest, most saturated part of Oikawa's dress. Daichi seems to have already been aware of this.

"You look... Amazing." Daichi breathes out, and then his cheeks flush. He brings a hand up to the back of his neck and gives a sheepish smile. "Well, it's not like it really matters what I think. But I bet you'd look ravishing in anything."

Oikawa huffs at the awkward attempt at a compliment, though Oikawa can't help the way his heart picks up its pace, just a little bit.

"Uhm, thanks." He mutters, slipping on his jacket as he tentatively steps through the door. He closes it, and then locks it behind him. "You... don't look absolutely terrible."

It's the truth, Oikawa thinks. Daichi doesn't look terrible. In reality, he looks far better than that; He's absolutely handsome.

But Oikawa isn't going to say that aloud. It will just feed the alpha's ego, make Daichi think that Oikawa is into him; that he has a chance of getting what he wants tonight.

Though, Daichi looks as though Oikawa's comment has made his day.

"Lets get going, yeah?" Daichi suggests. "Most of the guests are going to start arriving soon. Since it's my home, it's important that I'm there."

Oikawa nods, following Daichi down the hallway; Letting out a relieved huff of air when Daichi doesn't offer his arm or try to lead him with a hand on the omega's back.

They get outside, and Oikawa finds a sleek black limousine waiting for them. It's to be expected; A wealthy alpha like Daichi probably travels in limos often. For Oikawa, though, this is a new experience.

The driver steps out, and opens the back door for Oikawa and Daichi. They climb in, and Oikawa finds long, comfortable looking couches on each side, and bottles of champagne and other drinks in the center.

Oikawa sits as far away as possible without making it seem weird, back straight and legs pressed tightly together. His hand lingers on the small purse he had grabbed along with his jacket before heading out of the apartment, ready to reach for newly acquired pepper spray if Daichi so much as grabs at him.

Though Daichi does no such thing. He takes his seat a few feet from the omega, crosses one leg over the other comfortably. Oikawa averted his gaze, stared out one of the limo's darkened windows as the vehicle starts and begins to pull away from the curb. As they drive down the street, Oikawa finds himself unable to meet Daichi's gaze. The memory of that dream, combined with the sight of those gold plated guns he'd gotten a peek at earlier still have Oikawa shaken up.

How many people had Daichi killed with those guns? Could Oikawa possibly become one of them?

"I make you uncomfortable, don't I." Daichi speaks up, cutting Oikawa out of his thoughts. It isn't a question, but an observation.

Without hesitation, Oikawa puts up a wall to protect himself, a falsely charming smile plastering itself onto his face. Daichi's eyes widen fractionally in surprise.

"Of course not, Dai-chan!" Oikawa speaks with false cheer, forcing his stiff shoulders to relax. He's allowed Daichi to see him in vulnerable situations too many times. Now, Oikawa has made the decision to keep that part of himself hidden. Whether it is to protect himself from Daichi, or to save himself the shame of his weaknesses, he doesn't know.

Oikawa doesn't let his gaze linger on Daichi, quickly turning himself away from the alpha's unwavering gaze. Daichi doesn't say anything else, doesn't even respond to that condescending nickname. He just stares at Oikawa with a calm gaze for the rest of the ride.

When they arrive at the estate, Oikawa notices a distinct difference compared to the only other time he has been here. The gates are left wide open, and there are many other vehicles - limousines and expensive sport cars alike - driving into the circular driveway. Among the scattering of finely dressed people making their way around a well lit path that leads to the side of the mansion, Oikawa notices several men dressed in dark clothing, only noticeable if you're looking for them. Their holsters and guns are out in the open, as if daring someone to try and attack.

It doesn't take long for Oikawa to figure that they were Daichi's men.

As Daichi and Oikawa step out of the limo, Oikawa can feel eyes on him. At first, he thinks that maybe its just the guards doing their duty. But then he looks around and finds that the eyes on him aren't from the guards, but one of the guests who is getting out of a sleek red sports car just a few metres away. It doesn't take Oikawa long to recognize a tall form with a muscular build, short dark hair that cast shadows over his eyes. The alpha is handsome, no doubt. But that wasn't what really drew Oikawa's attention.

Oikawa knows him. Had known him a long time ago, back when Oikawa had just started working as a prostitute.

Ushijima Wakatoshi.

He had been one of Oikawa's first customers, and though he was an awfully blunt man, he never acted as though he was entitled to Oikawa's services. Never demanded anything that Oikawa was uncomfortable with. He payed well, often even left tips that Oikawa hadn't expected.

For a long time, he had been the main source of Oikawa's income. Oikawa had even trusted the alpha to stay longer with him than he ever had with any of his customers, had talked with him and even told him about his situation.

Then, Ushijima stopped calling. Stopped asking to meet up.

Oikawa averts his eyes and allows Daichi to lead him around the side of the house, though he can feel the alpha's eyes on him, probably wondering why Oikawa had paused to stare at Ushijima as they exited the limo.

Oikawa can't quite figure out why Ushijima would be here. Oikawa knows that he is from a wealthy family. Maybe they had somehow gotten involved in the same charity organization as Daichi? But that doesn't seem right. These charity events were more for publicity than to show any real generosity. Ushijima had never really shown much interest in publicity.

Then again, it isn't as if the two of them had ever spent a whole lot of time talking about Ushijima's life. Besides, it's been a good four or five years since they'd last interacted. Many things could have happened in all that time to make him become more conscious of his public appearance.

Oikawa finds his thoughts trailing off when he is lead through a large glass door, into probably the largest dining hall he has ever seen. It is full of people, guests and servers and guards alike. Everybody here is dressed in finely designed and fitted clothing, even the group of about twenty of so servers that were spread out around the room, carrying trays of drinks and small horderves to keep the guests appetites settled until dinner. Against one of the walls in a large glass case are various items; vaguely familiar paintings in ornate frames, finely detailed jeweled necklaces thank no doubt cost more than Oikawa's existence, and other expensive items, all set up to sell in order to raise money for charity.

Of course, Oikawa doubts that's where the money will actually go.

"Our table is at the front of the hall," Daichi tells Oikawa, leading the omega further into the vast room. "We can set down your stuff-" He gestures to Oikawa's jacket and purse "- And then grab drinks."

Oikawa glances at Daichi for a moment, then nods, "That sounds okay."

Daichi leads Oikawa through the throngs of people gathering in the room, towards the table that was meant only for Daichi and his closest associates. They barely make it a few more steps, however, before two large figures rush at them, grabbing at Oikawa as the omega lets out a surprised scream.

Before any other thought can occur to him, Daichi is reaching for the guns in his holsters, is just about to pull one out to protect the omega from the attackers when he realizes Oikawa is letting out a happy squeal, wrapping the two men in his arms.

"Makki! Matsu!" The omega cries happily, clinging tightly to the two tall forms, laughing and smiling brightly, in a way Daichi has never seen from him. The two males who had run to Oikawa have their long arms wrapped around Oikawa's thin form, and none of them seem to care about the eyes that turn to look at them as they embrace.

"Where the hell have you two been?!" Oikawa asks, pulling away just to pull Hanamaki into another hug, and then doing the same with Matsukawa. "And what are you doing here?!"

"That's a long story." Hanamaki laughs, but pulls the shorter omega into another hug once he pulls away from Matsukawa. "We can talk about all that later. For now, tell me what you-" Hanamaki shakes Oikawa's shoulders lightly. "-Are doing here."

"Oh, I'm here with-" He turns and glances at Daichi, cutting himself off. That's when the pair notices Daichi standing there.

"Hey, boss!" Hanamaki greets, and then his eyes fall back on Oikawa. There's a brief moment before recognition flashes in his eyes.

"Wait, you're the omega who the boss has been obsessing over?!" Hanamaki laughs, and Matsukawa gives a chuckle. Hanamaki turns his gaze to Daichi. "Yeah, good luck with this one, boss."

Then it hits Oikawa.

"Makki, you're part of the-" He cuts himself off, realizing that this probably isn't something he can talk about with so many people around. But the other three all seem to understand.

"They joined a few years ago when we found them in the middle of a job gone wrong," Daichi explains. "They're valuable members." Oikawa nods stiffly, trying to revaluate his entire opinion of his old friends.

"How do you know them?" Daichi asks, and Oikawa flinches just a bit at the personal question. Matsukawa thankfully seemed to pick up on his discomfort with the situation.

"We lived together for a little while when we were younger," Matsukawa says, thankfully not telling Daichi that they had all been homeless kids living in an alleyway with a bunch of other bums and drug addicts. "We haven't seen each other in half a decade."

Oikawa nods again, fiddling self-consciously with the strap on his bag.

"We should get to our table..." He says to Daichi, and the alpha nods.

"Of course," He glances to the couple in front of them. "You guys can join us if you want. It's only us and a few others from the inner circle."

Matsukawa and Hanamaki agree, while Oikawa tries to figure out exactly what an 'inner circle' is. Oikawa is lead by Daichi to their table, which is otherwise empty. Daichi holds out Oikawa's chair for him, which causes an embarrassed flush to coat his cheeks. Hanamaki sits to the right of him with Matsukawa next to him. As they sit down, a server rushes over. It's obvious that he knows who Daichi is by the way he keeps his head low and his eyes down as he asks for their drink orders.

"I'll have a whiskey," Daichi says, and then turns his gaze to Oikawa. "What do you want?"

Oikawa hesitates, knowing that he wants to stay as sober as possible tonight. "I'll just have water with ice." Daichi quirks his brow a little, but nods to the server. He takes Matsukawa and Hanamaki's orders, then leaves.

"How did you two meet?" Matsukawa asks, leaning over the table to look at Oikawa. Oikawa stiffens at the memory of hands groping at him and the feeling of unnatural heat coursing through him.

He doesn't really want to talk about that.

"I ran into him while I was working," Oikawa says, since it really isn't a lie. Sort of. "We've seen each other a few times since."

Matsukawa nods, though Hanamaki doesn't seem satisfied with the answer. "How do you know about the syndicate?" He questions, brows drawn together.

Oikawa pauses, not sure how to respond. But, thankfully, a new presence at the table draws the attention away from him.

"Sawamura Daichi," A deep voice speaks, and Oikawa looks up to find Ushijima Wakatoshi and the blond omega from earlier. "This party is as interesting as expected."

Daichi gives a polite smile and nods. The alpha pulls out a chair for the blonde, before settling into one himself.

"Thank you," Daichi looks up when the server comes to them with their drinks, but then returns his gaze to Ushijima. "I have a very skilled party planner."

Ushijima gives a deep chuckle, obviously being part of some inside joke Oikawa doesn't know.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself more than usual," Ushijima muses, and all humor seems to fade from his voice. "It's strange, considering our current dilemma."

Daichi's polite smile fades, and he casts a glance to Oikawa, as though this new topic isn't something he wishes to discuss in front of the omega.

"We're working on it," Daichi takes a sip from his glass, leaning back in his chair. "We have two men working in the club and we're looking into all leads."

"The puppy and the sociopath?" The blond on Ushijima's arm speaks for the first time throughout the entire encounter, looking nothing short of judgemental. "Those two crazies can't do shit. Tadashi is still gone, and you haven't done anything to find him." The blond doesn't raise his voice. He is completely calm and cold, and that scares Oikawa more than if he were to yell.

Daichi's jaw seems to grind together a little in irritation, and Oikawa can understand why; From the sounds of it, the blond had just insulted Suga, and the alpha from the bar, Ken. Oikawa recognizes the name of one of the missing omegas, and figured that Ushijima and the blond must be close to him somehow.

"We're doing what we can," Daichi says, still trying to come off as relaxed, even though his irked scent says otherwise. "We can't investigate openly without drawing the attention of the police, and I'd rather not have to deal with them again."

"Seems like you're more focused on getting your rocks off." The blond glares pointedly at Oikawa, and he gives a noise that is practically a squeak in surprise. Does the blond know what Oikawa does for a living? Maybe Ushijima told him.

"Oh, no- I'm not-"

"You are not working tonight?" Ushijima asks, brows drawn together. "Don't you usually reserve weekends for clients who want the whole night?"

Oikawa's cheeks heat up, and he fights the urge to slam his head against the table.

"You know him?" Daichi asks, obviously confused. "Is he one of your customers?"

"He- he used to be," Oikawa curses himself mentally for the stutter, uncomfortable now that he's the focus of attention again. "We haven't seen each other for a long time."

"What do you do?" Hanamaki speaks. For the last few minutes, he and Matsukawa have been engaged in their own conversation, but now seem to be all caught up in what the rest of the table is talking about.

"I-" Oikawa fiddles with his hands under the table. He doesn't want Hanamaki and Matsukawa to know about what he's been doing the last few years. He doesn't want them to pity him. "I'm a prostitute." His voice comes out softer than he means it to, more anxious.

Hanamaki gives a surprised hum, though he doesn't lash out or yell. When Oikawa glances at him, he's met with an understanding, sad smile. He and Matsukawa, of all people, know what it's like to struggle with money. To be homeless and alone and scared. To have no choice but to do unsavory things in order to survive. A large hand falls on Oikawa's shoulder in a supportive gesture, before it pulls away.

"Just find Tadashi," The blond says coldly and stands. Ushijima gets to his feet as well. "I don't want him to end up like your precious Chikara." With that, the couple walks away. Oikawa looks after them, utterly confused. Oikawa eventually turns his gaze to Daichi, about to ask who Chikara is. But by the look on the alpha's face, Oikawa figures it's better to wait until he doesn't seem as enraged as he currently does.

The tenseness at the table eventually fades. After that, things go... surprisingly well. The four of them stick to lighter topics of conversation, and Oikawa finds himself smiling more than he thought he would, even laughing a couple of times. He never gets really comfortable, but he doesn't have any panic attacks. Nobody gropes him. Daichi doesn't make a move on him. After they finish the served dinner, Daichi leaves the table to finish preparations for the speech he has to give for his guests, and Oikawa sees it as a good opportunity.

"Who is Chikara?" Oikawa asks the second Daichi is out of earshot, keeping his voice low just to be safe. Hanamaki and Matsukawa both glance at each other, then sigh in unison.

"He... was Daichi's mate." Hanamaki explains. "He went missing a few years ago, and was found dead a couple months later."

"Daichi was mated?" Oikawa sits up straighter in his seat, intrigued by this new information about the alpha. He hadn't ever smelt a bond in Daichi's scent, though it makes sense; If someone's mate dies, the bond - and the scent of said bond - fades. If Chikara has been dead for a few years, it's understandable.

Oikawa feels a little angry at himself for not knowing this. Has Daichi just been using him as a replacement for his dead mate?

"He was taken by another syndicate to try to take us down," Matsukawa says. "We think the same syndicate is responsible for the recent kidnappings, but we don't have any evidence."

"A couple other circle members suggested that we attack anyways and look for the omegas ourselves, but that's too dangerous." Hanamaki takes a sip from his drink in between sentences. "If it turns out that we're wrong, we could end up with an all-out war on our hands."

Oikawa nods. He doesn't really understand much about Yakuza these days, but he also agrees that attacking without obvious cause could make some issues for Daichi and the rest of the syndicate.

"How is Shigeru?" Matsukawa asked, changing the topic of conversation. "I saw him at that club a few weeks ago, but I didn't want to interfere with his job."

"He's... good." Oikawa shrugs. "He's doing much better than me right now. Has a pretty nice apartment."

Hanamaki hums as his alpha nods, leaning forward with his elbow rested on the table.

"Okay, we're not doing any of this small-talk bullshit." Hanamaki fixes Oikawa with a pointed stare. "What's up with you?"

"What do you mean?" Oikawa asks, thin brows furrowed. Both Hanamaki and Matsukawa sigh.

"Don't play dumb, Tooru. Just a few years ago, you couldn't even stand being touched. Now you're having sex for money?" Matsukawa's droopy but piercing eyes make Oikawa feel like the alpha is staring into his soul. "And what's with all the scars? And why are you here, on a date with some hot-shot syndicate boss alpha, when you used to want to vomit even from the scent of an alpha getting too close?"

This is the first moment that Oikawa thinks he hates how well Hanamaki and Matsukawa know him. Or, well, used to know him.

Oikawa sighs, fiddling with the hem on the top of his dress, running his thumb over the white fabric.

"A lot of things have happened..." Oikawa took in a deep breath, hating the dryness in his throat and the way his fingers shake. "I can't get into all of it here."

Hanamaki sighs, but seems a little reassured by the unspoken promise of Oikawa telling them another time.

"Just tell us this," Matsukawa says, still completely serious. "Are you here on your own will? Did someone force you to come?"

Oikawa freezes. "...What would you do if I was?"

Hanamaki scowls, his fingers tightening just a little around his glass. "Then we would handle it." Matsukawa nods in agreement. "Daichi may be our boss, but we won't stand him messing with our family."

Oikawa feels an overwhelming surge of fondness for these two. Even after all these years, all these changes, they still consider him family.

Bonds formed in the streets never fade, Oikawa supposes.

"I wasn't forced to come here," Oikawa sighs and taps his fingers along the edge of the table. "Daichi was persistent, but he didn't demand that I come or threaten me."

The couple nods, and Hanamaki gives a small smile. "Why did you come, then?" He asks. "These kind of parties aren't really in your comfort zone." His brows raise and his eyes squint in a teasing manner. "Don't tell me you have a crush on our boss?"

Oikawa adamantly shakes his head. "No, no. I just came because he asked." Hanamaki gives him a scrutinizing look, but eventually nods his head again.

"How did you two meet, again?" Matsukawa pries. "Something about work?" Oikawa sighs, knowing he wont get away without telling them at least something.

"One of my customers tried to get more than they paid for," Oikawa explains vaguely. "Daichi showed up just before things got really bad. I think the customer was someone the syndicate has issues with?"

Hanamaki and Matsukawa look at each other again, always doing that thing where they can communicate without words.

"You're the omega from the Matou job, then," Oikawa is about to ask how Matsukawa knows about that, but he keeps talking. "We heard from a couple guys that Daichi had the whole house cleared of alphas. Something about an injured omega in an induced heat. Did Matou's guys do that to you?"

Oikawa sighs, slumping his shoulders and staring down at his lap in shame of how pathetic he must look to them. After a moment, he manages a nod. His mind fills with memories from that night, of the hands clawing at his skin, the needle being injected into him.

And then a different memory comes; One he hasn't thought about since he met Yahaba. Two broad hands on his small waist, before be presented and gained those wide omega hips. He briefly feels chapped lips, a ghost against the nape of his neck. A murmur of a voice - deep, rough with smokers lungs - telling him to be a good boy, to finish up dealing with the overdosed beta in the kitchen, and then to come to the bedroom. The voice telling him that, if he's good, he might be allowed to eat tonight.

Oikawa is snapped back to reality by a concerned-looking Hanamaki waving a hand in front of his face. Oikawa flinches back, blinking repeatedly to wash away the memory of a whiskey-scented mouth dragging over his bare skin.

"You okay?" Hanamaki asks, and after a brief moment, Oikawa nods.

"What were you sa-" Oikawa is cut off by a high-pitched scream coming from the other side of the hall, near the entrance. Oikawa and his friends turn their heads just as a loud, terrifying noise fills the hall, followed by more screams and the quickly wafting scent of fear.

Before Oikawa's ears even register the gunshots, Hanamaki and Matsukawa are to their feet, pulling matching handguns from their holsters. Oikawa stares, almost in awe, as Matsukawa presses a quick kiss to his omega's lips and then runs off towards the gunshots. Hanamaki stays at the table, but remains alert, as though he's protecting Oikawa. That makes Oikawa just a little bit angry, but also a little happy that his friends still care about him.

"Do you know how to use a gun?" Hanamaki asks as more shots ring out. Eyes wide, Oikawa nods, hands shaking when Hanamaki pulls a second gun from its holster and holds it out to Oikawa. He takes it, and hopes he will not need it.

Oikawa's eyes are searching through the throngs of people trying to run out of the hall when he sees Daichi, Hajime, Suga, and a group of other men run in, all with guns drawn. Daichi holds his at his side, and Oikawa figures he doesn't want his panicked guests to see the affluent business man they think he is with a gun, if he can help it. Daichi immediately looks towards Oikawa, seeming to relax in relief when he sees that the omega is alright. He quickly says something to Hajime, who rolls his eyes when Daichi comes back towards the table.

"What's going on?" Oikawa asks before he can stop himself.

"Kyoto," Daichi explains vaguely. "Suga recognized one of those guys from a meeting we had last year." His eyes flash with concern when he looks at Oikawa. "It'll be fine. My guys are handling it."

Oikawa scoffs at Daichi for being worried about him, but he can't help the way his shoulders shake at the sound of more shots ringing through the room. His eyes scan the crowd anxiously, hoping that whoever is causing all this trouble won't make it much further into the building.

"Hanamaki, can you take him to the livingroom?" Daichi asks. The omega nods.

"Sure, boss." Hanamaki starts leading Oikawa further away from the comotion across the room, but OIkawa stops, turns and grabs Daichi by the sleeve before he can walk away. 

“Be careful,” Oikawa murmures, completely serious. “Kyoto is ruthless. If you have something they want, it’s best just to give it to them.” Oikawa is speaking those words before he can stop himself, before he can remind himself that he isn’t supposed to know anything about Yakuza, specifically the Kyoto syndicate. He was supposed to have cleared it all from his mind.The utterly shocked look on Daichi’s face reminds Oikawa of that, and Oikawa doesn’t give Daichi a chance to respond before turning and following Hanamaki. 

They don’t get very far. 

Oikawa hears the footsteps coming up behind him at the very last moment, turns just as a body makes impact with his own. He isn’t even able to lift the borrowed gun before he’s on the ground, and a fist is slamming into his face. There’s a screaming above him, hateful words being yelled as a fist makes impact over and over. Oikawa can feel a wet warmth on his face, but he can’t tell where it’s dripping from, too busy trying to fight the heavy body off of him, a layer of panic quickly settling into his bones. 

Then there’san overwhelmingly loud roar, and the body on top of Oikawa is gone. The omega can't see anything but red, realizes that his blood must be blocking his eyesight. All he can do was shake and try to regain focus. There isa warmth against his back, hands on his shoulders, and Oikawa jolts. 

“It’s fine,” Hanamaki’s voice speaksinto Oikawa’s ear. “It’s just me.” Oikawa continues to shake but nods. Hanamaki makes Oikawa lean back against him and quickly wipes the blood away from his face, until Oikawa is abe to see.

It was Daichi who had pulled the man off of him. He’s growling, still practically roaring as he uses his fists to pound the man into the ground, hitting him over and over until Iwaizumi and Ken arrive, having to use physical force to pull Daichi off the man. 

Daichi doesn't let Ken and Hajime hold him for long. He breaks away, and leaves the beaten man on the ground as he turns to Oikawa and Hanamaki. 

“Get him inside,” Daichi yells to Hanamaki, and the rage in the alpha’s voice makes Oikawa's shaking even worse. “Now!” 

Oikawa lets out what can only be described as an indignant squak when Hanamaki lifts Oikawa into his arms. Oikawa tried to keep his gaze on Daichi, tries to gather what's going on among all the chaos, but Hanamaki is rushing Oikawa from the room without giving him a chance. 

Before Oikawa realizes it, he's out of the hall and in what must be only one of the many living rooms in the house, being deposited on a couch in the corner. 

Oikawa ends up falling a little out of it, curling up and shaking. Hanamaki just sits next to him, gently takes the gun from Oikawa's clenched hand and returns it to its holster. Hanamaki doesn't seem to know what to do, doesn't know how to soothe Oikawa. He used to, but he must have gathered how much Oikawa has changed in the last few years. 

Oikawa isn't sure how long it is before Daichi and a group of other men enter the room through the entrance from the hall, two nameless faces carrying the half-conscious man who attacked Oikawa in between them. Daichi is seething, his knuckles bloody, and Oikawa is quickly to see the difference between this Daichi and the usual kind, gentle Daichi he's shown Oikawa thus far. 

The darkness in his eyes can come only from a seasoned boss. 

“Hajime, go make sure the rest of the guests get out safely,” Daichi demands, his voice cold as he doesn't even look at his right hand. “I don't want anybody finding out about what happened tonight, understand?” 

Hajime nods. “Yes, boss.” He leaves the room immediately, three unfamiliar men following behind him. Oikawa catches sight of Suga standing with his back against the wall, that sweet smile of his nowhere to be found. His arms are crossed over his chest, and he seems to be looking over everybody in the room as though they're all beneath him. 

“Where do you want us to take him, Boss?” One of the alphas holding onto the half-conscious man asks, and Oikawa finally lets his eyes fall on him. The man’s face is bloodied, his nose at an ungodly angle from the force of Daichi’s fists. But there's no way Oikawa wouldn't be able to recognize him. 

“Get him to the basement,” Daichi spits out. “I don't want to see him again until I'm ready to finish him off. Get whatever you can from him.” Daichi’s guys nod, and they begin dragging him out of the room. But Oikawa is staggering to his feet, tumbling over to Daichi.

“You can't torture him!” Oikawa exclaims before he can stop himself. “If you do, they'll just attack here again!” 

Oikawa's leg almost gives out under the weight of his tired body, but he manages to stay standing. 

“Oikawa, this doesn't concern you,” Daichi’s voice is more gentle than it was when speaking to his men, but it still has that art edge to it that makes Oikawa want to puke. “This is a syndicate matter.” 

“I know that!” Oikawa tries not to let his panic show. “I know I don’t have any business in this but- But you can’t kill him. If you do, Kyoto won’t stop. They’ll just come back over and over again until they kill you!” 

Daichi freezes. “What do you know about Kyoto?” Daichi asks. “I thought you didn’t know anything about Yakuza.”

“I don’t!” Oikawa nearly yelled. “But i used to. And I know about Kyoto, I know what they’re like. Even if they attacked first, you can’t kill their guys and get away with it!”

Daichi grabs Oikawa’s frantically waving hands, making the omega jolt back. 

“Oikawa, what are you talking about? What do you know about Kyoto?” 

Oikawa isn’t sure why he’s saying all this, why he’s revealing himself to Daichi and all these men when even Yahaba doesn’t know. But Oikawa’s head his fuzzy, his mind muddled. 

‘“Do you know him?” Daichi asks Oikawa, referring to the man who had attacked him. Oikawa closes his eyes, shakes, and nods.

“He’s my cousin,” Oikawa admits, stared down at his feet, realizes he must have lost one of his shoes at some point. 

“What do you mean?” Daichi asks. “There’s no way. If you were from Kyoto, I would know. I-” 

“You don’t know!” Oikawa yells before he can stop himself. “I’ve already said that! You don’t know me! You can’t be around me!” Daichi reaches out to grab Oikawa, to try to calm the omega, but Oikawa pushes him back.

“Don’t fucking touch me!” Oikawa yells. “You know I-” Oikawa cuts himself off, but is quickly yelling again. “I’m not yours!” He nearly wails. “You don’t own me! You can’t parade me around on your arm like I belong to you, like I’m some replacement for your dead mate!” 

It’s like the room collectively gasps at Oikawa’s outburst, but Daichi doesn’t respond in any way, just stares in shock. 

“You can’t use me to forget about your dead mate! You can’t treat me like some little project you picked up in the streets to dress up and toy with!” Oikawa’s breath is heaving out of his chest, and oikawa realizes he’s sending himself into a panic attack way too late. “I’m a real fucking person! I’m damaged, and bruised, and you can’t pretend I’m not just to fulfill some sick fantasy of yours!”

This time, when Daichi reaches for Oikawa, the omega rears back, the palm of his hand making contact with Daichi’s cheek before he can stop himself. There are hands on Oikawa’s shoulders, probably men about to demand that he repay them for hitting their Oyabun, but Daichi stops them with a glare and a wave of his hand, though the look in his eyes is nothing short of defeated. 

“Leave him be,” Daichi demands of his men, and the hands disappear from Oikawa’s shaking form. Daichi doesn’t look at Oikawa even once more, just turns away. He grabs a notepad from the table and scrawls something on it and hands it to Ken.

“Take him to this address,” Daichi orders. “Make sure he gets there safely.” Ken nods, and Daichi’s attention focuses on Hanamaki and Matsukawa. “Come with me.” The two follow without hesitation, and the rest of the men in the room quickly file out, leaving Oikawa alone with Ken. 

\----

Yahaba gets home from work a little after eleven, having taken the opening shift at the club today. When he gets there, he changes into a pair of comfortable clothes and sets some tea to boil, ready to curl up on the couch with a movie and hopefully have a peaceful night to himself. He’s just choosing a movie when there’s a pounding knock on his door. 

Of course. Yahaba never gets a peaceful night. 

Yahaba shuffles out of his comfy seat and towards the door, looks through the peephole and isn’t able to see anything. He pulls the door open, and finds Oikawa, his face bloody, in a ripped dress, missing one shoe. And, surprisingly, he’s leaning against the side of that hot blond alpha from the club.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! There's a lot that went into the making of this. I hope you guys can wait patiently for my next update of this fic, or are willing to check out any of the other works I have that update more regularly! 
> 
> Don't forget to comment and leave kudos!


	6. In truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi doesn't deserve “one more shot” with Oikawa. He doesn't deserve to try to get close to Oikawa, only to fuck things up again. True mate or otherwise, Daichi doesn't deserve another shot at love. He had his shot with Chikara. And in the end Daichi had been left torn and broken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the radio silence for so long! And also sorry for how short this chapter is! I explained in my update of ottf why I haven't been posting much, and I also asked a few questions regarding what you guys would like to see in the future. please make sure to check that out. Also, a comment on this chapter would be greatly appreciated!!

Oikawa sits on Yahaba’s couch, staring down at his hand.

The hand he used to slap Daichi.

Oikawa slapped Daichi. 

Oikawa can’t believe he’s even able to do such a thing. To slap Daichi, Oyabun of the one of the top syndicates in all of Japan. Daichi should have killed him, should have demanded at least a finger in return, and even that was being far too lenient. 

But Daichi hadn’t done anything, hadn’t seemed anything more than a little irritated, a little bit hurt. He’d asked Ken to make sure Oikawa got to Yahaba’s safely, walked away without so much as a glare in Oikawa’s direction. 

In front of Daichi’s men. He should know to keep up a hard, ruthless front when they’re around, should know not to show any signs of weakness or sensitivity around them. 

Daichi should have hurt him. 

But he didn’t. 

Oikawa sniffles, and curls up on his side, listening half-heartedly to the hushed voices of Shigeru and that blond alpha, Ken. It seems like Yahaba recognized him when they arrived, probably from the club.

Oikawa is more than a little surprised that Yahaba hadn’t snarled at Ken and forced him to let Oikawa go, even though he hadn’t been holding Oikawa with any violent intentions. Yahaba has always been that way with alphas that he saw outside of the club. Neither of them had any reasons to trust an alpha. 

There’s the closing of the front door, and the shuffle of footsteps. Oikawa isn’t sure when he closed his eyes, but when he opens them, Yahaba is sitting right in front of him on the ground. In a position that is much too familiar to the both of them. 

“Do you want to come to bed?” Shigeru asks, running a hand through Oikawa’s hair. Oikawa gives a drowsy nod. 

“Okay,” Yahaba returns with a tired smile. “But I have to clean up your face first. Then we can sleep.” 

Oikawa frowns, too mentally and physically drained to stay up much longer. But Yahaba leads him to the bedroom, hand in hand, and has him sit on the edge of the bathtub. Oikawa drifts a little as Yahaba cleans his cut lip and wipes away all the blood, murmuring about how Oikawa always manages to get himself hurt. Once he’s finished, Yahaba leads him down the hall and to his bedroom, having him sit on the bed and moving to fetch him clothes from the dresser. 

“We need to talk,” Yahaba says as Oikawa changes out of the dress and into some sweatpants and a tank top. “You can’t keep doing this.” 

“Doing what?” Oikawa slides the pants up his legs, barely able to muster the energy to mumble. 

“Getting hurt all the time, disappearing for hours and showing up injured.” Yahaba sat himself next to Oikawa. “You can’t- I can’t-” Yahaba pauses, and sighs. “I can’t see you like this anymore, Tooru. I need to know that you can be more safe, for real this time.” 

Oikawa pulls the shirt over his head, careful of his split lip. Then he drops his hands to his lap. 

“I’m trying,” He murmurs. “I really am.” 

Yahaba pulls one of Oikawa’s hands from his lap and holds it in his own. 

“I know,” Yahaba assures. “I know you are. You always have. But…” Yahaba pauses again, staring at Oikawa’s pale hand against his. “I talked to Take-chan, asked if he’d consider giving you a job.” 

“Shige, I can’t-” 

“It’s not a hand out,” Yahaba promises. “And it isn’t a pity job, either. Takeda likes you, thinks you’d bring a nice fresh young face to the bartenders at MOC.”

Oikawa paused, thinks about it. Sure, working at the club would get Oikawa a more consistent income, but it wouldn’t exactly be safe. Oikawa can’t help recalling what happened to those two omegas who worked there. 

But still, it’s safer than working in the streets, constantly having to worry about violent alpha’s or undercover officers or if he’s even going to get any customers that night. The club- It’s better, and Shigeru will be there. Suga will be there, and Oikawa thinks that the smaller omega might be trustworthy. 

And Ken is there all the time. He may be an alpha, but Yahaba seems to trust him to come into the apartment and leave unharmed. And Daichi trusts him to look after Oikawa so- 

Maybe it’s a good idea. 

“Fine,” Oikawa stands on weak legs and crawls into the bed, waiting for Shigeru to join him before pulling the blanket up over them. “But I’ll need lots of hours. I need to keep up the amount I get working now.” 

“You’ll get more,” Yahaba assures with a little laugh. “It’s a high class club that can afford to give their employees more than minimum wage. And besides,” Yahaba presses his body against Oikawa’s and rests his head on Oikawa’s shoulder. “You’re absolutely gorgeous. You’ll probably get more tips than I do.” 

Oikawa gives a little laugh and nudges against Yahaba’s forehead with his nose. “You literally make most of your paycheck in tips, Shige.” Oikawa wrapped his arms around his friend, pulls the other omega even closer.

“Exactly.” Yahaba nuzzles against Oikawa’s shoulder, and Oikawa gives a bright smile. 

\----

“Fuck,” Daichi groans, holding his face in his hands as he sits on the couch. “I fucked up again.” 

There’s a pause, and then a sigh. 

“I don’t see why it matters,” Iwaizumi says. “He’s just an omega. A prostitute. It’s not like you guys could ever be together.” 

Daichi swings at Iwaizumi before he can stop himself, his fist stopped by Iwaizumi’s hand. Of course, Iwaizumi is the only person in the syndicate Daichi has never landed a hit on in a fight. 

“Don’t talk about him that way, you asshole.” Daichi demands. “Oikawa is more than that.” 

“Oh really?” Iwaizumi lets go of Daichi’s hand and leans back, his arms crossing over his chest. “How. So far he hasn’t done anything super impressive.”

Daichi doesn't bother to suppress the growl he throws Iwaizumi’s way. 

“Don't be a dick, Hajime,” Daichi glares. He tugs a little at his hair and sighs. “Oikawa… He’s just Oikawa.” Daichi curses himself in this moment for not being better with words when it comes to romance. 

“He’s gorgeous,” Daichi thinks of Oikawa long legs, his hips. Of his beautiful brown eyes, and those soft, plump pink lips. “He’s so strong, so tough. He’s just-” 

“He’s your mate.” 

Daichi snaps his head up to where Suga is standing in the doorway. 

“We’re not-” Daichi is cut off again. 

“He's your true mate.” Suga says, adamant. “You and I both know that. Your rut wouldn’t have come back if he wasn’t” 

Daichi doesn’t know how to respond to that. The thing is that Daichi knows. He knows that Oikawa is his true mate. He knows, but it's wrong. 

Because Chikara was. 

At least, they'd always felt that way. 

They'd known each other since middle school, met at that private school Daichi was sent to in order to have a normal education. Ennoshita was the one Daichi wanted since his first rut, and he was the only alpha Ennoshita had ever allowed to even try to court him.

They were meant to be together. 

But then he died. 

Is it possible to have more than one true mate? 

“You're kidding, Koush.” Iwaizumi deadpans. “There's no way that runt is Daichi’s true mate.” 

“Oh, what would you know about true mate?” Daichi lets the irritation bleed into his voice. “It doesn't have anything to with status.” 

Iwaizumi scoffs, and is about to speak, but something stops him. Daichi lifts his gaze to Suga, who is glaring at his mate with harsh eyes. After a moment, Suga’s gaze softens a little and turns back to Daichi. 

“What are you going to do?” Suga asks, crossing his arms. “The party didn't win him over. What are we trying next?” 

“I'm not trying to ‘win him over’!” Daichi snaps. He sighs, clenches and unclenches his fists. “I'm not trying to… coerce him into having feelings for me!”

There's a pause, nothing but silence. 

“Then what do you want?” Iwaizumi asks, sounding a little more concerned than before. 

“I just-” Daichi holds in a growl. “I just want to be close to him. I want to get to know him.” Daichi sighs again. 

“I just had to fuck it up.” Daichi groans and fights the urge to pull at his hair. “I fucked it all up. I'm such a shitty fucking alpha.” 

“You're not,” Suga comes closer and plops next to Daichi on the other scent of the couch, though Daichi knows Suga is practically yearning to be close to his mate after everything that happened tonight. “You just haven't had to try to win an omega’s affection since you were fifteen. It's not your fault you're a little rusty.” 

Daichi isn’t going to have this talk with them. This talk where they would try to motivate and pump him up and encourage him to give it “one more shot”. They may be his best friends, but they're also sociopathic serial killers who wouldn't know a healthy relationship if it slapped them in the face. 

Besides, Daichi doesn't deserve “one more shot” with Oikawa. He doesn't deserve to try to get close to Oikawa, only to fuck things up again. True mate or otherwise, Daichi doesn't deserve another shot at love. He had his shot with Chikara. And in the end Daichi had been left torn and broken.

“I'm not doing this,” Daichi says, and stands. “I'm not going to drag Oikawa back through the mud just for him to be with me. He deserves better after everything he's been through.” 

“Do you even know what he's been through?” Suga asks, and Daichi turns his head momentarily. 

“No,” He admits. “But he deserves better.” 

\----

Oikawa was reacting to everything better than Yahaba expected. 

At least, that night. 

In the morning, Oikawa iss more than a little out of it. He spends most of it staring blankly at the mug of hot tea Yahaba had made and left on the bedside table. Yahaba has to get some paperwork done for the online classes he has, but he spends most of the day next to Oikawa, letting his friend curl into him and shake, wrap an arm around his ever-chilled frame and whisper soothingly to him, coo at him and promise him that everything is okay. 

Around noon, Yahaba gets an unexpected call from Hanamaki of all people, saying he'd gotten his number from Oikawa the night before and wants to come by and catch up, see how Oikawa is doing. After a hesitant moment, Yahaba agrees, missing his old friends and knowing that they'd probably be able to tell him what happened last night, since Oikawa didn't really seem up to the task. 

After hanging up, Yahaba pulls Oikawa even closer and nuzzles against him again. 

“Makki and Matsu are coming over to catch up. Do you want to come to the living room?” 

There’s a few moments where Oikawa doesn't even indicate that he's heard Yahaba. Then, he nods. 

“Sure,” He murmurs. “I wanna see them.” 

Oikawa’s face is more than a little bruised from the night before, and he seems a little dizzy as Yahaba helps him stand. Yahaba leads him into the living room, lets him curl up against the arm of the couch, a blanket strewn overtop. Yahaba makes more tea, knowing that Hanamaki only drinks green tea and Matsukawa only drinks peach ginger. 

There's so many little things Yahaba remembers from when he was little, living in the streets with them. Yahaba never understood how they could afford to be so picky, how they could afford to take Oikawa and Yahaba out to dinner once a week, even though it was just to some local fast food restaurant. It was only after they moved away that Yahaba realized they had been smuggling drugs for syndicates, traveling the world whenever they would disappear for days at a time. 

Yahaba had always wondered why they didn't let Oikawa and Yahaba join them. Why they had been left to starve. Why they always had to sleep in the cold while Hanamaki and Matsukawa would go on plane rides and sleep in fancy hotel rooms. 

Yahaba is just finishing up the tea when there's a knock on the front door. Yahaba places all four mugs on the table in the living room, runs a quick hand through Oikawa's hair as he walks past him to the door. 

Yahaba doesn't bother to fix his hair or make sure he looks nice; Matsukawa and Hanamaki have seen him much worse than wearing pyjamas with bedhead. They'd seen him in the worst moments of his life, and he was sure they wouldn't mind a little bedhead. 

When he pulls open the door, he’s immediately wrapped up in a tight hug from a massive frame, finds himself laughing as Matsukawa lifts him, lets the alpha hold him without a single hesitation; Matsukawa is his ‘big brother’, after all. 

“Issei!” Yahaba laughed, holding back a squeak when Matsukawa’s arms tightened almost painfully around him. The alpha laughed, low and happy. Then Yahaba was being set down, only to be engulfed in another hug, this time from Hanamaki.

“Hey, Cream Puff.” Hanamaki’s voice was as fond as ever as he squeezed Yahaba tightly, his build much wider than Yahaba remembered. 

“Been working out, Berry?” Yahaba teased. Hanamaki snorted at the old nickname, pulling back just slightly. 

“Oh yeah. Syndicate life’s made me ripped.” Yahaba frowned a little, remembering what Oikawa had told him about their old friends joining the Tokyo syndicate of Yakuza. It wasn’t unknown that he disproved of Yakuza, but he was going to do his best to support his friends as much as they once supported him.

“Where’s Tooru?” Matsukawa asked, his voice going soft.

“On the couch,” Yahaba motioned with his head. “He’s awake, but kind of out of it. Has been all day.” 

“Makes sense,” Hanamaki said. “After the breakdown he had at the estate…”

“What happened?” He asked, and lead them over to the couch after they took of their shoes. Oikawa was still curled up, but when Yahaba sat down, he sat up just enough to rest against Yahaba’s side. 

Hanamaki and Matsukawa explained what had happened at the party the night before, and Yahaba quickly found himself enraged. That alpha…. Daichi had left him out on all that information, about his dead mate, and had expected Oikawa to be completely calm when he found out? What kind of sick alpha was like that?

A syndicate boss, apparently. Speaking of.

“What do you guys do for the syndicate?” Yahaba asked, eyeing the tattoos peeking out of Matsukawa’s sleeves. Hanamaki’s sleeves hid his arms, but he figured he had some too.

“We’re cleaners.” Hanamaki said from his place in the armchair, leaning back against his alpha. 

“What are those?” Yahaba furrowed his brows.

“They dispose of dead bodies,” Oikawa murmured against Yahaba’s side. “They cut them up. Scatter them or destroy them.” 

Yahaba looked down at Oikawa, where his face was buried against the blanket. How did he…?

“It’s not something we can talk about in detail with outsiders,” Matsukawa said, his hands instinctively running over his mate’s hips. “But he’s right.” 

“Tooru,” Yahaba leaned down to try to get a look at his friends face. “How do you know that?” 

Oikawa squirmed a little, didn’t say anything else. 

“Of course he knows,” Hanamaki said. “Considering where he comes from.” 

Oikawa only shook his head, as if he didn’t want Hanamaki to say anything, but like he didn’t have the strength to get the words out.   
“Don’t…” Oikawa whispered, barely audible. “Please don’t tell him.” 

Yahaba froze.

“Tooru,” He tried to keep his voice gentle, couldn’t stop the firm tone that fell into it. “You have to tell me what he means, or he will.” 

Oikawa just shook his head again. After a moment, he spoke.

“I don’t want you to be mad at me.” His brown eyes finally opened and met Yahaba’s, and Yahaba swore he saw a glimmer of tears. “I’m not like that anymore.” 

Yahaba tried not to overthink things; tried not to come up with his own ideas of what was going on. But Oikawa wasn’t telling him, and too many thoughts were going through his mind. 

“Please, Tooru,” Yahaba said with desperation in his voice. “I won’t be mad.” 

Oikawa sniffled, and then he sat up a little, using his shaky arms to lift his body. 

“I…” Oikawa wiped at his nose. “I was born the in the Kyoto syndicate.” Oikawa admitted. “My mother… He was the true mate of one of the alpha’s in the inner circle, but they never loved each other. He-” oikawa pulled the blanket tighter around his body, leaned against Yahaba’s shoulder. The younger omega - as well as their friends in the chair - just listened. 

“He was raped,” Oikawa breathed after a minute. “And was forced to give birth to me. But they didn’t want me. Treated me like crap.” Oikawa jolted when Yahaba started running a shaky hand through Oikawa’s mussed hair, though he eventually leaned into the touch.

“When he died…” Oikawa brought his legs up to his chest. “They decided they didn’t want me and they… they gifted me to an alpha in the circle who they thought deserved a…” Oikawa swallowed. “A reward.”

Yahaba didn’t have to think very hard to understand what happened from there.

“Oh, Tooru…” 

“Don’t.” Oikawa murmured. “I don’t need your pity.” 

Yahaba wrapped both arms around Oikawa and pulled him in without any hesitation. 

“Tooru, you know I’d never pity you.” Yahaba pressed his face into Oikawa’s hair. “I care for you. There’s a difference.” Oikawa only shook his head. 

“I just…” Yahaba tightened his grip even more around Oikawa’s thin frame. “I don’t know why you ever felt like you couldn’t tell me.” 

“Because I’m Yakuza…” Oikawa whispered. “And you hate them. I don’t want you to hate me.” 

“I could never hate you,” Yahaba said adamantly. “Never.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Please let me know what you guys think!


	7. Chances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first thing he notices, is how tired Oikawa looks. 
> 
> He’s behind the bar, smiling and laughing with an older alpha as he pours the man’s drink. His hair falls over his face in that swooping curl, his smile bright and flirtatious in a way that must earn him lots of tips. But there are more bags under his eyes, and he’s moving a little more slowly than usual. 
> 
> He sees Daichi within only a few moments, and excuses himself from the other alpha. 
> 
> “What do you want?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for another short chapter, but at least I got this one out more quickly! Also I hope the content of it makes up for the length. Please let me know in a comment below what you think, as every single one helps me into putting out chapters faster. Thank you so much for checking out this update!

For the next few days, Daichi doesn’t know what to do with himself.

The first day he spends drunk out of his mind, in a way he hasn’t been since he got sober last year. He must have smashed a few things in his self hatred fueled rage. when he woke up the next day, the coffee table in his suite of rooms was missing the pane of glass that usually sat on it.

Daichi’s head, heart, and body all ached. But he knew he didn’t deserve to be in pain.

Around noon, Suga forced him to scarf down at least a few bites of food. Then Daichi went somewhere he hadn’t been in months. Chikara’s grave.

He stands on the patch in front of his mates headstone, where the grass had grown back. It no longer looks like they’d had to dig up the earth to lay his dead love’s body in the earth. If it wasn’t for the headstone, nobody would know Chikara is under the earth. Nobody would know that his once beautiful body is there, decayed and rotting.

Though that wasn’t Ennoshita. Not really. The way he had been those last few months before he went missing... the terrible things that must have happened to him while he was being held. That wasn’t Chikara. It wasn’t the happy, responsible man Daichi had loved. The one who had promised to grow old with Daichi. The one who didn’t care that he was the boss of such a dangerous syndicate.

Daichi was grateful that the guards he brought along with him stayed back, allowing him to grieve in silence for his mate.

Daichi loves Chikara; There’s no doubt about it. He always has, and he knows that he always will. But is it possible, Daichi wonders, for him to love two people? He knows there’s many who do. Ushijima with his two omega’s. Kuroo, who everybody knows loves Bokuto, but also has a special place in his heart for Akaashi. It was common in Daichi’s syndicate to have more than one lover. But Daichi… Daichi’s situation was different.

Daichi had found his true mate. Or at least he’d thought he did. He’d bonded with Chikara and had been with him for years, had made plans for a future together.

Is it possible to have more than one true mate? Daichi doesn’t know. True mates in themselves are rare; most people never find theirs. He knows Matsukawa and Hanamaki are, but that’s it. Nobody else in the syndicate. If Iwaizumi and Suga weren’t the way they are, maybe. But they’ll never know; Everybody knows - even they know - that they don’t have the capacity to love. They can only achieve that sick, sweet affection that comes with finding someone who accepts their personal darkness.

But maybe, that’s what love is.

Daichi doesn’t know.

Instead of standing there longer and brooding some more, Daichi kneels. He presses one hand to the gravestone, right above the Kanji for Ennoshita’s given name. He kneels there for a moment, silent, before he stands.

Maybe he doesn’t have the capacity to love more than one person at a time.

Maybe Ennoshita is the only person who would ever have the capacity to love him.

\----

Oikawa started working at the club a few weeks later. The training had been long, and tiring, but Oikawa had caught on quickly. Takeda, unsurprisingly, had been there to help Oikawa with anything he needed.

Oikawa didn’t stop working the streets completely. He only worked a few nights a week at first, just to get used to it. He still needed the income his previous night job had given him. He was more careful, though, only working with customers he’d been with before. He didn’t trust anybody knew. He knew that anybody could be part of the syndicate, coming to hurt him for lashing out at their boss. Anybody could be from Kyoto, coming to kill him for siding with the Tokyo syndicate.

He wasn’t with the Tokyo syndicate. But in their eyes, Oikawa is a traitor.

“Hey, gorgeous.” Oikawa turns from where he was refilling a lady’s drink to come face to face with Suga, smiling at him warmly. Oikawa straightens his back.

He hasn’t talked to Suga since that night at the party. He’d been avoiding the smaller omega like the plague. But there’s nobody at the bar waiting to be served, no way for him to get out of it now.

“Hi,” Oikawa breaths out. He sets down the bottle of expensive liquor in his hands. “What do you need?”

Suga sits down on the stool, still in his costume from his last show; The bright white bodysuit, his cleavage line and the bottom hem covered in white fur. A halo attached to a headband sat on his head.

“Nothing,” Suga says. “I just want to ask you how you’re doing.”

“I’m good.” Oikawa says, grabbing a wet rag from the sink and rinsing it out. He starts wiping down the counter even though he knows he just wiped it down a few minutes earlier. “This job isn’t as difficult as I thought it would be.”

Suga frowns. “Oikawa-”

“Don’t” Oikawa cuts him off. “I really don’t want to hear it.”  
“But-”

“I already have Shige-chan on my ass every day, telling me to get over it. He thinks it’s unhealthy to be mad about it.” Oikawa shrugs. “But he hates Daichi, so why should he care? Why should I care? It’s not like he meant anything to me.”

“Oikawa, listen.” Suga sighs, his voice more harsh than Oikawa expects.

“Daichi should have told you,” Suga says after he’s sure Oikawa won’t cut him off again. “He knows that. But you kept a lot of things from him, too.”

“My life is none of his business,” Oikawa defends, then realizes. Daichi’s life wasn’t Oikawa’s business, either. He frowned. Of course Suga was right. “Oh.”

“Daichi cares about you.” Suga says after a moment. “He doesn’t think of you as Chikara’s replacement. He thinks of you, as you.”

“He doesn’t even know me.” Oikawa spits out.

“And whose fault is that?” Suga bites. Oikawa slumps, because Suga is right once again.

“I know where you’re from,” Suga says, catching Oikawa off guard. “I know that’s why you don’t want to trust Daichi, among other reasons.” Oikawa goes to deny it, but Suga continues.

“The Tokyo syndicate is nothing like those animals in Kyoto,” Suga assures. “Pointless violence and slave trading are two things our syndicate doesn’t abide by. They treat their omega’s with the respect we deserve.”

Oikawa lets out a little ‘hmpf’ noise. “Of course you would think so,” He shoots back. “You’re wrapped around that alpha’s finger.”

Suga pulls off his halo, smirking.

“That’s what you think,” Suga laughed. “Hajime is the one who’s obsessed with me.”

Oikawa didn’t respond. Suga’s smile dropped.

“Just… think about it,” Suga said, standing. “Daichi isn’t a bad guy. He’s just made a few mistakes. And what he feels for you…” Suga, for a moment, looks a little jealous. “I’ve never seen anybody feel that much care for someone before.”

Oikawa shrugged, not wanting to promise Suga anything.

\----

“You like him, don’t you.” Yahaba says one night at Oikawa’s place. They sit on the couch, watching a crappy movie play on Yahaba’s laptop. Oikawa is curled against Yahaba’s side, munching on chips Yahaba brought for snacks. 

Oikawa sighs, knowing he won’t be able to get out of this. He reaches out and pauses the movie. 

There’s a few seconds of silence. 

“Yeah,” Oikawa admits. “I like him.” 

“Do you really, thought?” Yahaba asked, his hand rests at Oikawa’s waist, his thumb running over the folds in the fabric of his shirt. “You seemed so against him…” 

“I don’t know,” Oikawa says. “I think I’ve been… afraid.” That, Yahaba already knows. Despite how strong Oikawa is, he’s always been scared. Even the slightest things can send him into a panic attack. 

“He lied to me,” Oikawa said. “But I can’t hold that against him. I lied, too.” He rolled onto his stomach and rested his head on Yahaba’s shoulder. “Suga’s right about him; He’s not a bad guy. He’s-” Oikawa lets out a laugh. “He’s really sweet, actually.” 

Oikawa expects Yahaba to frown and express doubt, but he just gives a soft smile. 

“I mean, he did stay with you during your panic attack that one time.” Oikawa nodded, and smiled into Yahaba’s shoulder. 

“And he’s so funny,” Oikawa chuckled. “Like, he has this awkward, unsure way of cracking jokes. But that’s what makes them so funny!” 

Yahaba hummed, and nudged his chin against Oikawa’s head. 

“You really don’t hate that he’s Yakuza?” Yahaba asks. 

“I’m Yakuza too,” Oikawa says. “I mean, I left the syndicate a long time ago, but…” He frowns. “It never really leaves you. I know too much about it to not be a part of it.” 

“In my mind, you’re not Yakuza,” Yahaba wraps his arms around Oikawa more firmly. “You never will be.” 

“I know.” Oikawa says. 

There’s a few moments of silence. 

“He’s killed people.” Yahaba eventually speaks. “They’ve all killed people.” 

Oikawa sighs. There’s a few moments where he doesn’t say anything. Just a few silent seconds. Then he speaks. 

“So have I.” He whispers. 

Yahaba’s eyes widen like saucers. 

“It was so long ago…” OIkawa admits. “It was the guy who… who I was gifted to.” His voice breaks a little at the end.

“What happened?” Yahaba asks. His voice isn’t judgmental. Just worried. Soft.

“He was awful,” Oikawa whispered. “I hadn’t even presented but… he did awful things to me.” 

Yahaba doesn’t have a hard time guessing what Oikawa means.

“He rented out his house to addicts,” Oikawa says. “Sold them drugs laced with things that would kill them… He had me dispose of the bodies.” 

Oikawa shivers, and Yahaba takes one of Oikawa’s hands in his own, squeezing and receiving one back. 

“It became too much. I couldn’t handle it anymore.” OIkawa nudges against Yahaba’s collarbone. “I fought back one night. He beat me. But I-” His voice breaks, but he continues. “My mom taught me how to use a gun before she died.”

He closes his eyes tight, as if trying to wash away memories of whatever happened that night. 

“I only needed to shoot him once but I kept going. I couldn’t-” 

Oikawa stops after that.

“Is that when you ran away?” Yahaba asks. There’s a jerky nod. 

“I’m sorry I never told you,” He says. “I wanted to protect you. I didn’t want you to know the truth about me.” 

“That doesn’t change anything about you,” Yahaba tells him adamantly. “You’re still you, Tooru. I don’t care where you came from. Only that you’re here.” 

Yahaba swears he feels the tiniest hint of a smile against his skin. 

“You’re from a syndicate, but that doesn’t change who you are.” Yahaba sighed. “And if you really like Daichi, I… I’m here for you.” 

A beat of silence. 

“Thank you,” Oikawa says. “But I don’t think he wants me anymore. Not after I slapped him in front of all his guys.” 

Yahaba chuckles. “We’ll see.” 

\----

Daichi doesn’t know why he comes to the club. He has no business there. 

He just wants to see Oikawa, he decides, wants to make sure he’s alright. Suga told him that Oikawa had started working there as a bartender, and Daichi is happy about it. He hopes it was easier for him to handle. 

He needs to check on Oikawa. To see him even once. Even if Oikawa doesn’t want to see him. 

The first thing he notices, is how tired Oikawa looks. 

He’s behind the bar, smiling and laughing with an older alpha as he pours the man’s drink. His hair falls over his face in that swooping curl, his smile bright and flirtatious in a way that must earn him lots of tips. But there are more bags under his eyes, and he’s moving a little more slowly than usual. 

He sees Daichi within only a few moments, and excuses himself from the other alpha. 

“What do you want?” Oikawa asks, and it takes Daichi a moment to realize that Oikawa isn’t being rude; He’s just waiting for Daichi to order a drink. 

“Ahh,” Daichi rubs a hand over the back of his neck, having not put any thought into it. “A whiskey? Whatever you think is good.” 

Oikawa purses his lips. 

“I’m not exactly a whiskey person,” He admits, reaching for a bottle that Daichi recognizes as something he likes. “But here.” 

There’s a few moments of static between them as Oikawa pours Daichi’s drink. 

“I’m sorry-” They speak at the same time, then stop. Daichi lets out a choked laugh. 

“What are you sorry about?” Daichi asks, not personally thinking the omega has anything to be sorry for.

“Slapping you,” Oikawa shrugs, sluggishly setting down the bottle and sliding the glass across the bar. “You didn’t deserve that.” 

“I did,” Daichi admits. “I shouldn’t have kept that from you.” 

Oikawa’s eyes widen, like saucers. But he keeps his slumped posture. 

“It really wasn’t any of my business. You just wanted to have some fun. I shouldn’t have flipped out.” 

Daichi takes a sip from his glass. 

“Really,” He sighs. “It was my fault.” Daichi sets his glass back on the bar. “I like you,” Daichi admits. “I wanted you to like me. But I screwed it all up.”

Oikawa looks down, a little sheepish too. 

“Well, you didn’t mess it all up.” He admits. “To be honest, you were starting to win me over.” 

Daichi’s heart stutters in his chest, and he tries to hold in the smile that threatens to appear on his face. 

“Really?” He asks, and Oikawa gives a little chuckle. 

“Yeah,” He admits. “You were a little headstrong, but you meant well.” Oikawa starts cleaning a few of the dirty glasses in the sink. “You’re sweet, Sawamura Daichi.” 

Daichi smiles. “Thank you.” 

“Is there any way you’d give me a second chance?” Daichi asks after a few moments, his voice showing how unsure he is. “I really care for you, Oikawa. I know I fucked up, but I want to try to make it right.” 

Oikawa doesn’t respond for a while. Then he’s called away when a group of customers come up to order a round of drinks. It takes a few minutes for him to make them all, and he fumbles with one of the glasses. BUt then he’s back in front of Daichi. 

Daichi doesn’t speak. He doesn’t want to pressure Oikawa into deciding anything right away. He’d pressured Oikawa to decide things too much in the past. He doesn’t want to do that anymore. 

“Fine,” Oikawa says, and Daichi raises his head, his eyes wide like saucers. Oikawa laughs. “You looked like such a sad puppy, I couldn’t possibly say no.” 

Daichi goes to speak, but Oikawa continues. 

“I have a few conditions, though.” He says.

Daichi nods immediately. “Whatever you need.” He says. 

Diachi doesn’t expect Oikawa to laugh. He looks so happy like this… so bright. Even as tired as he is, he looks beautiful. 

After a moment, Oikawa’s demeanor turns serious. 

Daichi leans in a little, to show that he’s paying attention. 

Oikawa rests both his hands on the counter, his gaze meeting Daichi’s eyes for the first time in a long time. 

“I have serious boundaries,” Oikawa says. “You know that.” Daichi nods, having known that since they met. 

“I need you to respect that. There’s certain things…” Oikawa purses his lips again. “There’s things I can’t talk about. And bodily contact. It’s…. Hard for me.” 

Daichi just listens to what Oikawa has to say, just lets him get everything out. 

“Can we just focus on getting to know each other?” Oikawa asks. “I really don’t want to jump into anything serious.”

Daichi nods and smiles. He feels the urge to reach out and take Oikawa’s hand, or to push a strand of hair out of Oikawa’s face. But he knows not to; knows it would only make Oikawa uncomfortable/ 

“Of course,” Daichi promises. “We can go as slow as you want.” He smiles. “Even if you’re not comfortable holding hands or kissing. I really don’t mind as long as you’re comfortable.” 

After a moment, Oikawa smiles. 

“Okay,” He says. Daichi’s smile turns into a grin. 

\----

“What happened after that?” Yahaba asks later that night, as they walk back to Yahaba’s apartment from the club. “Did he just leave?”

Oikawa shrugs. “He made sure I have his number, and he left.” Oikawa says. “He says he wants to wait until i’m ready to spend more time with him. He wants me to be the one to call.” 

Yahaba hums, “Will you?” 

Oikawa nods. “I’m not sure when, though.” He pulls out the new phone he got some time ago. It’s just a cheap phone with a pay-as-you-go plan, but it’s what Oikawa can afford. “I don’t want to bug him.” 

Yahaba laughs. “Considering how much he’s chased after you, I don’t think you’re bugging him.” Yahaba says. “If anything, he’d be happy to hear from you.” They reach yahaba’s building, and they walk through the doors. 

“I’m still going to wait,” Oikawa says. “At least until after.” 

Yahaba nodded, and nudged against Oikawa’s side. 

\----

Oikawa notices Daichi at the club a few days later. He isn’t at the bar, but sitting at the back with that other blond alpha, Ken. His eyes seem to be fixed on one of the dancers, but he swears those eyes land on him every few seconds. At the end of his break, Oikawa wanders over with a few classes. He places them on the table in front of them. 

“If you’re anything like Daich, I’m guessing you like whiskey.” Oikawa says to the blond, sliding one of the glasses across the table. Kyoutani doesn’t say anything, but takes the glass. Daichi goes to pull out a few bills from his wallet. 

“It’s fine,” Oikawa says, waving a hand. “It’s a thank you for making sure I got to Shige’s place safe a few weeks ago.” Oikawa smiled at the alpha, and Daichi noticed Oikawa seemed even more tired. “Most syndicate alpha’s would have dumped me in front of the building without a care in the world.” 

Kyoutani still doesn’t speak, but hums to let Oikawa know his thank you is welcomed. 

Oikawa slides the other glass across the table to Daichi. When the alpha goes to grip the glass, their hands accidentally touch. Oikawa jolts back, but doesn’t seem too taken aback by the sudden contact. 

“Sorry.” Daichi says, but Oikawa just smiles.

“It’s fine,” Oikawa assures. “I’ll try to get used to things like that.” 

Daichi shrugged. “Take your time,” He says. “No rush.” 

Oikawa’s smile becomes a little more sincere. After a moment, he slumps into a seat. 

“You okay?” Daichi asks. “You look a little tired.” Oikawa nods, still smiling, but Daichi can tell the tiredness in his eyes is just getting worse. 

“My… Heat is supposed to start soon.” Oikawa admits. “It’s off schedule because of those inducers from when we met.” He leans his head on his hand. “I’m taking suppressors to keep it back for a few days, so it won’t hit so suddenly, but they’re taking a tole.” 

Daichi felt his cheeks flush with heat. Oikawa seems to realize what he said, and he coughs a little. 

“Sorry,” Oikawa says. “I shouldn't have-” 

“It's fine,” Daichi laughs awkwardly, fiddling with the glass in his hands. “It's good to know. If I drop by here I won't have to worry about where you are.” 

Oikawa’s eyes widen, and then he lets out a cough. 

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Daichi asks, his eyes flashing with concern. “Your apartment…”

“I don't stay there during my heat,” Oikawa says. “Shigeru and I always stay together. It’s safer.” 

At the mention of Yahaba, Kyoutani’s eyes shift over to him. He's been silently ignoring the conversation until now, but he seems interested. Oikawa tilts his head a little, having seen the way Kyoutani watches Yahaba during his shows.

Is Kyoutani interested in Yahaba? 

Oikawa feels a flash of protectiveness over his best friend. He may be fine with himself being with Yakuza, but he doesn't feel the same for Yahaba. 

Oikawa doesn't even know if Yahaba is aware of this alpha’s affection, but still. Oikawa doesn't like it. 

Oikawa is taken out of his thoughts when he realizes Daichi is speaking to him. He turns his attention back. 

“Sorry, what?” 

Daichi seems to blame it on Oikawa being tired, and smiles. His face his still flushed from the topic of Oikawa’s heat. 

“Oh, nothing,” Daichi smiles sheepishly, and Oikawa can't help think of how handsome Daichi looks in this light. The blue and purple strobe lights dance over Daichi’s features, lighting them up and making him look ethereal. “I was just wondering if you want me to scent something for you?” 

Oikawa's brain practically stops at the thought of that; at the thought of Daichi scenting something for him to use during his heat. He remembers how soothing Daichi's scent is, how easily it calms him, but decides it isn't a good idea. He doesn't want to get too attached to Daichi too quick, doesn't want Yahaba asking Oikawa why Daichi scented something for him. 

“No thanks,” Oikawa chuckles, though his cheeks are heated and his heart is pounding. “Yahaba’s scent is soothing enough for me.” 

Oikawa expects alpha jealousy to rear its ugly head, for Daichi to make some absurd demand and give Oikawa a reason to decide to give up on giving Daichi a second chance. But Daichi just nods, looking a little awkward but not at all jealous or angry. 

“Okay,” Daichi says. “But maybe call me once it's over? I want to know that you're okay.” 

“Of course I'll be okay,” Oikawa purses his lips. “But if you want me to.” 

“You don't have to.” Daichi amends. “Only if you feel like it.” 

Oikawa checks the time, then stands. 

“I will,” He flashes a smile. “I have to get back to work, though.” 

Daichi nods, and grins. “See you later.” 

Oikawa just walks away, a small smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment below, and check out my writing tumblr. 
> 
> https://aidenjaxwrites.tumblr.com


	8. Hot Chocolate and Christmas Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa hasn’t been able to stop thinking about Daichi, but it isn’t even in the way most heats would cause. He’s been focused on the way the lights at the bar had lit up his skin, the way his brown eyes had seemed to almost glow when he looked at Oikawa. Daichi was beautiful, Oikawa has decided. With his kind eyes, and his broad body and his tan skin. He was any omegas wet dream. 
> 
> (the first date chapter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally another chapter! Sorry its so short! I hoped to have it out a lot sooner, but my living situation has changed again. I hope you guys enjoy this. Please leave a comment if you do!

Oikawa lays in Yahaba’s bed, curled up against his friend in a cozy nest. 

It’s the last day of his heat, and he’s more tired than anything else. Yahaba’s heat started the day before his, and it had already ended. He lay next to Oikawa, tired but content as they curl against each other. 

Oikawa hasn’t been able to stop thinking about Daichi, but it isn’t even in the way most heats would cause. He’s been focused on the way the lights at the bar had lit up his skin, the way his brown eyes had seemed to almost glow when he looked at Oikawa. Daichi was beautiful, Oikawa has decided. With his kind eyes, and his broad body and his tan skin. He was any omegas wet dream.

Well, at least, he was Oikawa’s. And Oikawa had never been even remotely interested in an alpha before. 

Also, he hasn’t said anything about Oikawa’s other job yet, as if he doesn’t care that Oikawa has to pleasure other alphas to make a living. Most would have demanded that he stop, that he rely solely on his money from his shifts at the bar to get by, or that he rely on them to pay for what he needed. But Daichi seems to understand what it means for Oikawa to be independent

“When are you going to call him?” Yahaba asks, his face pressed against Oikawa’s shoulder. They’re both wearing nothing but boxers, actual clothes making their heats far too unbearable. 

“Probably tonight,” Oikawa admits, his voice a little hoarse. “Once it’s calmed down.”

Yahaba nods and hums, curling a little bit closer to Oikawa’s body.

“You know,” Yahaba speaks after a moment of silence. “I don’t care that he’s Yakuza. If he hurts you, I’m going to kill him.” 

Oikawa knows Yahaba is serious, and he frowns.

“Please don’t,” Oikawa says, hooking an arm over Yahaba’s body. “I don’t want you to get hurt trying to defend me. He might not let his men hurt me, but… I don’t know if he’d defend you if you tried to kill him.”

“I don’t care about what happens to me.” Yahaba almost spits out the words. “If he so much as touches you in a way you don’t like, he’s dead.” Yahaba goes to sit up, bust Oikawa just pulls him as close as possible, and buries his head in Yahaba’s hair. 

“Please don’t,” Oikawa says. “I can’t lose you.” 

Yahaba doesn’t say anything. 

\----

That night, Yahaba leaves for his first night back to work after his heat. Once he’s gone, Oikawa uses his new phone to call Daichi. 

He doesn’t expect the alpha to pick up right away.

“Daichi Sawamura.” Daichi says, sounding much more business-like than Oikawa has ever heard him. The omega laughs. 

“Oh, Oikawa.” Daichi sounds almost relieved. “I didn’t expect you to call right away.” 

Oikawa is standing in Yahaba’s kitchen, making himself some tea. 

“And I expected some Yakuza secretary to pick up and ask me if I had an appointment.” Oikawa chuckled. He stirred in a few spoons of sugar. 

“Why would I have a secretary when I can just answer my own calls?” Daichi asks, sounding a little surprised. “It’s much more efficient.” Oikawa just grins and shakes his head.

“No reason,” Oikawa lifts the black mug in his hand and brings it with him as he strides over to the couch, setting the mug down and taking a seat. “I just figured most bosses have a secretary of some sort.” 

There’s a few moments of silence where Daichi doesn’t say anything, and Oikawa pulls the phone away from his ear to make sure the call is still going. 

“Thanks for actually calling,” Daichi says. “I didn’t think you would.” 

Oikawa leans back against the couch. “Why wouldn’t I?” He asked. “Of course I want to talk to you.” 

Another few moments of silence. Oikawa starts to wonder if something is going on. 

“When is your next shift at the club?” Daichi asks after a few moments. 

“Tomorrow,” Oikawa says. “They gave me the opening shift so I’m off by midnight.” 

There’s a hum, and then a few more moments of silence.

“I’m guessing you’re going right home after?”

“Usually I do. It’s not safe to be out at night around here. I don’t like to do it unless I’m working.” 

“Do you want to come somewhere with me after?” A pause. “I promise it’s completely safe.”  
Oikawa huffs a little. “At midnight? Don’t you want to get some sleep.” 

“The night-life in Tokyo is the best in winter,” Daichi says. “There’s this really nice place nearby I’d like to show you.”

“Like a date?” Oikawa asks.

Daichi laughs a little . “Yeah, like a date.”

Oikawa can’t help the grin on his face. “I’ll think about it.” 

\----

“Please tell me we’re not going somewhere fancy,” Oikawa says as he follows Daichi out of the club just after midnight, tugging a thin jacket over his shoulders to stave off the cold. 

“No, nothing fancy.” Daichi chuckles, and shoves his hands in the pockets of his coat. “I learned what my mistakes were last time i tried to woo you.” 

“Trying to woo me?” Oikawa gives a little laugh and follows Daichi down the sidewalk. They walk a little further into the residential area, further away from the bright lights and holiday decorations that cover nearly every inch of Tokyo this time of year. “Why would you want to do that?” 

Daichi just huffs, as if to say, ‘why wouldn’t I?” 

They talk a little as they walk, about little things that come to mind. Oikawa finds it surprisingly pleasant, talking to Daichi. Before all this, Oikawa had been too busy being suspicious of any ulterior motives the alpha may have. But now, he’s giving Daichi a chance. For real. 

“What do you do for Christmas?” Oikawa asks. “I don’t really know what people do on Christmas.” 

“The syndicate has a formal gathering every year on Christmas eve,” Daichi says. “Not like the party you went to.” They turn down a new road, well lit by the Christmas decorations covering the surrounding houses. “This is really traditional. We all wear full traditional-wear and everything.” 

“What do you guys do there?” Oikawa asks, finding himself more than a little curious. Even back before he was sold off, he had never experienced a Christmas with the syndicate. Before his mother died, they would sneak out of the estate and would walk around the suburbs, looking at Christmas lights like the ones that surround him and Daichi right now. After he died and he was sold off, he would spend his Christmas doing whatever was told of him; cleaning, cooking, and… other things.

“Talk, drink. We make plans for the new year.” Daichi shrugs. “What do you do?” 

Oikawa frowns, not really expecting to have to talk about himself. But that’s the way it works, right? Getting to know someone? 

“Me and Shige-chan spend every Christmas together,” Oikawa says. “We watch movies and give each other a small gift every year.” He smiles a little, excited to know that this year he’ll be able to get shigeru something special. 

“And before that?” Daichi asks, sounding more than a little curious. “Before you met Yahaba?” 

Oikawa really doesn’t want to go that far back into his memories, wants to be mad at Daichi for prying. But he isn’t, not really. It’s a normal question to ask. 

“I lived alone in the streets before that,” Oikawa admits. “Sometimes Matsu and Makki were around, but most of the time they were off doing jobs. Smuggling drugs and weapons and money. I wasn’t really able to do anything to celebrate.” 

When he looks back at Daichi, the alpha is frowning. Oikawa feels guilty for admitting that, goes to apologize for making Daichi uncomfortable. 

“You deserve more of a Christmas than that,” Daichi says before Oikawa can speak. “I hope you have a better Christmas this year.” 

Oikawa finds himself smiling a little, feels the urge to nudge his shoulder against the alpha’s. 

“Thank you, Daichi.” He says, and the alpha’s frown disappears to make way for a hesitant smile. 

“Where are we even going?” Oikawa asks after a few moments of silence as they turn down another street. “I haven’t been around here before.” 

Daichi smiles wider. “There’s a park nearby,” He says. “They sell hot chocolate and treats for everybody who comes to see the lights at night.” 

Oikawa realizes Daichi is excited. This tough, wealthy, criminal Yakuza boss is excited to see Christmas lights and drink hot chocolate. 

He’s a dork, Oikawa realizes. 

A huge, hilariously adorable dork. 

“What, you don’t like Christmas lights?” Daichi asks at the look of shock on Oikawa’s face. The omega shakes his head, laughs a little. 

“No, I love them!” He says. “They’re so pretty. I just didn’t expect you to like them.” 

Daichi huffs, though he’s grinning. “I may run an organization that kills people and sells drugs, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the little things!” 

That remark should make Oikawa uncomfortable, but it doesn’t. Of all the things Daichi could do to him that could send him in a complete panic attack, this is something that Oikawa doesn’t mind. Daichi isn’t his job, just like Oikawa isn’t either. 

The park comes into a view a few minutes later, the lights bright and almost overwhelming even from down the street. 

Oikawa loves it immediately. 

They walk up to the gate that leads into the park. As they make their way in, they stop to buy hot chocolate from the little stall that’s set up. Daichi goes to pay for Oikawa’s drink, but the omega stops him and pays for it himself with the change he finds at the bottom of his wallet. Then they start to make their way down the path that leads further into the park. 

The lights are beautiful, strung up on the fence and wrapped around trees. There are sculptures of all sizes, depicting reindeer and presents and Christmas trees, even though there are tonnes of actual trees all around the park. It’s mesmerizing. 

“When I was little,” Oikawa is speaking before he can stop himself. “Me and my mom would sneak out and walk around Kyoto, looking at all the lights. We’d go on for hours. Sometimes he’d even buy us a snack to share.” 

“Sneak out?” Daichi asks, and Oikawa realizes he divulged more than he meant to. “Sneak out of where?” 

Oikawa sighs, feels more than a little annoyed at himself for letting it slip. 

“The syndicate had this estate on the edge of town, a lot like yours.” He says. “But It was a lot darker of a place… If we had tried to leave through the front without permission…” He doesn’t explain further. 

“Kyoto syndicate?” Daichi asks, as if it just hits him, what Oikawa was talking about all those weeks ago when he admitted that someone from Kyoto was his cousin. “What about your father?” 

Oikawa doesn’t want to talk about his father. He makes that clear by changing the subject a little bit. 

“The last time we went, mom was really sick. He could barely move, but he wanted me to have a good time on Christmas.” Oikawa clutches his cup a little too tightly in his hands. “He died a few months later…” 

Daichi is silent for a little while, and Oikawa can feel the alpha’s gaze on the side of his face. 

“How old were you?” Daichi asks. 

“Seven,” Oikawa says. They turn down the path, a new section of decorations coming into view. “Or eight… I’m not sure. Those few years are really fuzzy in my mind.”

Oikawa pauses. He doesn’t really want to talk about this anymore, wants to change the subject to something a little less gloomy. 

“What about your parents?” He asks, hoping it’s a good change of topic. 

“We used to spend every christmas day together,” Daichi says, and takes a sip from his hot chocolate. “Once the syndicate was handed off to me, they moved away to some tropical island and only visit for a few weeks a year. They like being away from the violence of the syndicate.”

“They just handed it off to you?” Oikawa raises a brow. “I thought most bosses would rather rule until they die?” 

“Most of them.” Daichi laughs. “But my dad. She’s a special kind of alpha on all levels. She couldn’t wait to run off with mom and live a peaceful life together.” 

“How old were you?” Oikawa asks, his eyes roaming over a tree covered in bright blue lights. “When they gave you the syndicate?”

“Nineteen,” Daichi says, and Oikawa can feel his jaw drop just a bit. “It sounds young, but I was raised to run a syndicate. I could have taken it at eighteen if I wanted to.” 

You didn't want to?” Oikawa asks once he regains control of his facial muscles. 

Daichi shakes his head, and shrugs. “Me and Chika had been together for a while, wanted to finish school together. We had plans to get married, maybe have a baby.” 

Daichi pauses for a few moments. When he speaks again, sadness is clear in his voice. 

“He went missing after I took over. Just vanished one day.” There’s pain there, deep underneath. “We found his body a few months later, in the yard behind the estate. They had brought him back and dumped him, wanted to show what they could do.” 

Oikawa doesn't know what to say about that, what he should do. Does Daichi want Oikawa to say something? Give him physical comfort? 

“That's…” something hits Oikawa then, something he should have realized long ago. 

“Kyoto… they killed him, right?” He feels rage boiling in his gut. Those people- people he knew when he was a kid, his family. They’d taken Daichi's omega and just killed him, dumped him where his loved ones could see him. Daichi nods. 

“That's… that's horrid.” It's all Oikawa can think to say. “I feel terrible that I'm even related to them…”

Daichi just shrugs again. “Not your fault that they're pieces of shit,” He smiles tentatively at Oikawa. “You seem nice enough, at least.” 

Oikawa snorts. “Accept for the fact that I practically tried to bite your head off every time I saw you until recently.”

“That's partly my fault,” Daichi says. “I didn't exactly make my intentions with you clear. And I did just randomly show up wherever I thought you'd be.” 

“That was really creepy.” Oikawa chuckles, and Daichi’s shoulders slump a little. 

They are silent for a few more minutes, though this silence isn't awkward. It’s almost comfortable, makes Oikawa think about the silent nights he and Yahaba could spend together, neither of them talking for hours, just enjoying the company of someone they love. 

Oikawa likes this, he decides. 

“Another question,” Oikawa turns his head to Daichi. “This ones more personal, so you don't have to answer it if you don't want to.” 

Most of the questions they've asked each other tonight have been really personal, Oikawa thinks. This one might be on a whole other level. 

“I'll answer,” Oikawa says after a moment. “As long as I can ask you something personal after.” 

Daichi smiles a little, nods. “Of course,” the alpha says. 

Oikawa takes a sip of his hot chocolate and basks in the warmth. They're almost halfway through the park now. If it wasn't for the hot drink in his hand, he would have lost feeling in his hands a long time ago. 

“Ask away, then.” 

Daichi nods and pauses, trying to think about how to word his question. 

“You don't like being touched, right?” Oikawa nods. 

“Mostly by alphas,” Oikawa admits. “They make me uncomfortable. I'm only really fine with Shige touching me, though.” 

Daichi purses his lips. “Then why do you work in the sex industry? Bodily contact is kind of a requirement of your job.” 

Oikawa swallows. He doesn't really know  
How to approach this. He's told Daichi so many things tonight, most of which only Yahaba, Makki, and Matsu know. Is it okay to tell Daichi this, too?

“It's what I'm good at,” Oikawa says eventually, fiddling with the plastic lid on his cup. “I knew I had a good body for an omega my age, and I needed the money.” He stares down at his feet as he walks. “I had to take care of Shigeru. He had just presented, and alphas could smell us during our heats. I needed the money to find somewhere safe for him.” 

“You really love him, don't you.” There’s something soft in Daichi's voice, something more caring than Oikawa would expect of an alpha like him. 

“Of course I do,” Oikawa says. “He's the only family I have. We may not be blood related, but he's everything to me.” 

Daichi hums, and they turn down the path again. “How did you meet him?” 

Four questions; Oikawa is counting. But he doesn't really care. He thinks that maybe he likes telling Daichi these things. 

“Found him in the streets,” Oikawa snorts at the memories of the first few weeks he knew Yahaba. “He was a feisty little kid, but hadn’t even learned how to steal food back then.” Oikawa finished off the rest of his hot chocolate and tossed it into a garbage bin as they passed by it. 

“He had just run away from his shitty foster parents,” Oikawa shoves his hands in his jacket pockets and hopes that they stay warm. “Addicts who adopted kids and used the money to get more drugs. They beat on him all the time, didn’t care whether he lived or died.” Oikawa purses his lips. “I’m glad he got out of there.” 

Daichi doesn’t say anything for a little while, clearly thinking about what to say in response. Oikawa starts feeling a little self conscious of everything he’s been sharing, but then Daichi smiles. 

“You keep saying things that make me want to hug you,” Daichi says with a laugh. “You’re really putting yourself at risk, here.” 

Oikawa can’t help it. He laughs. 

\----

Yahaba has had enough. 

He’s been working all night, dancing on stage and working the floor and doing his job, but the whole time, he’s been distracted. Well, more than usual. And it’s not his fault. 

“What table is this drink going to?” Yahaba asks one of the bartenders, even though he knows it’s going to that dimly lit table in the back of the room where a blond alpha sits. No one else buys such bland drinks here. Everything is fruity and mixed and sweet. 

“Table twelve,” The bartender shrugs. “Why?” 

“Let me take it,” Yahaba says. It isn’t his job, but he needs an excuse to go over there. “Just this once.” 

The bartender gives him a suspicious look, then sighs. “Fine, but if I get in shit-” 

“I’ll take the blame.” Yahaba nods, then grabs the glass and practically stomps over to the corner of the room, his heels clicking on the ground and his short skirt swishing around his hips. 

“What are you doing here?” Yahaba asks Kyoutani, and sets the glass down on the table. “I thought you came here to keep an eye on Suga.” 

Kyoutani grunts, looks at Yahaba with those bright eyes, and then points to a table in the middle of the room, where the omega in question sits, giggling with a group of other dancers. 

“He’s been here for ten minutes,” Yahaba crosses his arms in front of his chest. “And you’ve been here for three hours.” 

“Is that a crime?” The alpha asks. Yahaba sighs. 

“No,” Yahaba snaps. “But it’s distracting, having a criminal like you stare at me while I’m trying to do my job.” 

“Would you rather I look away?” Kyoutani asks. 

Yahaba can’t even say he wants that, because he doesn’t. He wants Kyoutani to look at him, and that’s the problem. He keeps losing his focus in the middle of a dance, ends up looking over to this table in the corner of the room to see if Kyoutani is watching him. The alpha’s eyes are always on him. 

Yahaba doesn’t say anything, just glares and sighs. After a moment, he huffs and stomps away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this slightly more domestic chapter. leave a comment and kudos if you liked it!


	9. Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Shibiyama Yuuki and Yamaguchi Tadashi were found on the outskirts of the estate.” Hanamaki shoves his phone into his pocket. “Yamaguchi is alive, but Shibiyama...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about another short update! I do hope you guys enjoy this one though. It's a little bit everywhere but I hope it all makes sense. Please leave a comment if you like it!

“So you just walked away?” Oikawa asks, setting a plate down on Yahaba’s dining table. The other omega just shrugged, setting down a little cluster of forks and knives. 

“If he wants to just stare as I dance, it’s not my problem.” Yahaba sighs, resting his hands on his hips. “I just don’t get why he has to come every night.” 

“Maybe he likes you?” Oikawa suggests. He walks back into the kitchen to grab a few glasses. “I mean, he definitely thinks you're hot. He probably wouldn’t stare at you that much if he didn’t.” Yahaba just sighs again, clearly not knowing what to think about it. He didn’t have to respond, though, because there's a knock at the door, the sound of two shuffling bodies. 

“I got it.” Oikawa says, setting down the glasses on the table and making his way to the genkan. He pulls open the door and is immediately engulfed in a hug from a grizzly bear. 

Wearing a Santa hat.

Oikawa laughs as he's lifted into the air, beating at the alpha’s shoulders and wiggling until he's set down. 

“Matsu, you hairy bastard!” Matsu scoffs at the insult, but is smiling anyways. Hanamaki appears in the doorway carrying a bag over his shoulder. He shoves Matsukawa out of the way and pulls Oikawa into a hug of his own. 

“Sorry about Matsu,” Hanamaki says loud enough for the alpha to hear. “He can't help himself when it comes to pretty omegas.” 

Oikawa just sighs, grinning, and steps back a little once they've all gotten their fill of hugs, when Yahaba wanders out of the kitchen to see what they're up to, the hugging continues. 

“How did you guys get away?” Oikawa asks Makki a little while later as they sit in the livingroom, having been banished from the kitchen when Hanamaki almost set fire to Matsukawa’s hair. Apparently laughing about it made Oikawa partly guilty. “Daichi said the syndicate has a Christmas gathering tonight.” 

“We just told Daichi we wanted to come see you,” Hanamaki shrugged. “He just told us to wish you a merry Christmas.” 

Oikawa smiled a little, feeling grateful that Daichi had let to of his best friends come see him on Christmas Eve. He and Yahaba had invited them to come to dinner, but Oikawa had said they probably wouldn't be able to show. 

“Tell him thank you for me?” Oikawa asks. 

“Why don't you tell him yourself.” Hanamaki smirks. “Heard from our lovely creampuff that you two went on a date the other night.” 

Oikawa’s smile drops into a frown, his cheeks heating up considerably. 

“I told him not to tell you guys,” Oikawa sighs. 

“Why?” Hanamaki laughs. “Worried we'd be too happy for you?” 

Oikawa gives him a look, as if to say “you know what I mean”. 

“I'm not going to interrogate him, Tooru,” Hanamaki laughs. “If I thought he was a bad guy, I would have kept on doing jobs for anybody who wanted to hire me; I wouldn’t have joined his syndicate.” Hanamaki bumps his shoulder against Oikawa. “He may have some issues, but who doesn't? He's doing what he can to survive, just like the rest of us.” 

Oikawa's smile returns, relieved. 

\---- 

“I didn't expect him to start crying!” Hanamaki laughs hours later, after dinner and a movie. Hanamaki is curled up next to his alpha on the couch, Yahaba beside him. Oikawa has taken to the armchair, curled up and grinning at his friends. 

“I wasn't crying, Hiro.” Matsukawa sighs. embarrassed. 

“But you were!” Hanamaki sits up a little. “When he started I though, oh, maybe rib cage tattoos are more painful than I thought. But when I went for mine, it was fine!” 

“What did you get?” Oikawa asks. “Was it your syndicate tattoo?” 

Hanamaki and Matsukawa both shake their heads. “No, we weren’t officially in the syndicate yet,” Matsukawa says. “We were getting our marriage tattoos.”

Marriage tattoos, a tradition for those who want to make their bond more permanent, more than even the bond marks on their scent glands. If someone’s mate were to die, the bond mark on the living partner would fade. But a tattoo- that would never disappear completely. Not like a bond mark. 

“What did you get?” Yahaba asks. Hanamaki doesn’t hesitate to grab the hem of Matsukawa’s shirt and pull it up, revealing a small section of red ink on his rib cage, in the shape of a pair of lips.

“My lips,” Hanamaki said almost proudly. “I left a mark on a piece of paper and the tattoo artist traced it for us.” Oikawa and Yahaba both nod, and Hanamaki stands. He turns so his back is facing the other two omegas and lifts up his shirt. Underneath are two hands, the exact size and shape of Matsukawa’s. They’re in black ink, curled around his back and hips as if they’re holding onto his waist. After letting them look for a few moments, he drops his shirt back to its place. 

“This was before Issei fucked up and lost a finger.” 

“Lost a finger?” Oikawa asks, eyes wide. He looks over to those black gloves Matsukawa always wear now, had guessed it was because of his life-long hatred of germs. 

“I killed someone before Daichi could get the information he needed out of him,” Matsukawa sighs. “Not my fault. He wouldn’t stop saying shit about Hiro.” Hanamaki plopped down on the couch next to his alpha as Matsukawa pulled off the glove on his left hand. His pinky finger was missing the top two knuckles, looking marred and damaged, but healed over. 

Oikawa’s mouth is dry. 

“Did… Did Daichi do it?” He asks, feeling a little sick. Matsukawa shakes his head. 

“No way,” He says. “He hates telling people to do yubitsume. He only does it if it’s serious.” Matsukawa pulls his glove back on his hand, adjusting it to hide the missing finger. “It was Iwaizumi. He’s a cruel fucker when it comes to people breaking rules.”

Oikawa frowns. Despite not knowing Iwaizumi that well, he can picture him being that way when it comes to punishing people.

“He’s harder on people than Daichi is,” Hanamaki says, leaning back against his alpha’s side. “But that’s just because he cares so much about the syndicate. They took him in as a kid when they could have left him for dead.” 

Oikawa doesn’t say anything, just nods. 

\---- 

Hanamaki and Matsukawa stay overnight, curling up on the couch and falling asleep together. Oikawa and Yahaba shuffle to the bedroom, tired and about ready to pass out. Oikawa falls into the bed and Yahaba plops down next to him. 

They wake up they next morning and have breakfast together. Oikawa sits at the table, sipping from a mug of tea and munching on some scrambled eggs. 

It’s a quiet morning. They spent some time earlier in the livingroom. Hanamaki and Matsukawa had brought some gifts, being able to afford to buy more for their friends than Yahaba and Oikawa could. Now, Yahaba had gone to practice for a new dance number at the club, despite it being a holiday, and Oikawa is relaxing with his two other friends. 

“Thanks for coming,” Oikawa tells them. He fiddles with the string of the tea bag, smiling a little. “I really missed you guys the last couple years.” 

Matsukawa smiles, nudges his foot against Oikawa’s underneath the table.

“We missed you too, kiddo.” Matsukawa grins, and Oikawa sighs. 

Oikawa is about to speak, but Hanamaki’s phone starts ringing on the table, and Oikawa recognizes Daichi's name and number. Hanamaki grabs the phone and answers the call, lifting it to his ear. 

“Hey boss,” Hanamaki leans back in his chair and smirks. “What's up. Are you jealous that I'm here with Tooru?” Daichi speaks, but Oikawa can't quite hear it. Hanamaki smile drops. His eyes move to Matsu, who seems to understand the look on his mates face. He stands, starts gathering up their things. 

“What's going on?” Oikawa asks. Hanamaki hangs up his phone and sighs, running his hand over his face before he stands up. 

“Shibiyama Yuuki and Yamaguchi Tadashi were found on the outskirts of the estate.” Hanamaki shoves his phone into his pocket. “Yamaguchi is alive, but Shibiyama...”

\----

Daichi is seething. 

Again. Again, the Kyoto syndicate have managed to enter the estate without anybody noticing. Again, they have dumped two syndicate omegas there and left them for dead. 

Daichi is grateful that a few patrolling alphas had picked up the faint scent of injured omegas, had found them in time. 

At least, for Yamaguchi. 

Shibiyama was gone. According to Kuroo, he’d been dead for a few hours before they were found. It was gruesome, disgusting to look at. Shibiyama had always been so sweet, quiet. He was much nicer than everybody else in the syndicate. Yet there he was, his head bashed in, his left leg twisted unnaturally, body covered in bruises. It makes Daichi think of Chikara, of how he had looked when he had been found. How Daichi hadn’t let anybody touch him, how he’d kneeled on the ground and clung to his dead mate and cried for Chikara to come back to him. 

But Daichi can’t think about that now. 

“Is he going to be okay?” Daichi asks Kuroo, standing in the doorway as Kuroo tends over Yamaguchi. The young omega is unconscious, and when he was brought in Daichi had caught sight of some of his injuries. His body is bruised like Shibiyama’s had been, his wrists and ankles covered in red and purple marks, no doubt from being restrained. One of his arms is twisted and deformed, blood coming from his head. There are many more injuries Daichi is sure he just hasn’t seen yet. 

“He’s malnourished, has multiple broken bones that won’t heal properly unless we set them, and more injuries I haven’t found yet.” Kuroo sighs, looks back at Daichi. “But he’ll make it.” 

Daichi sighs in relief and leans back against the wall, not knowing how he would handle it if his syndicate lost another omega right now. 

“But Daichi, He-” Kuroo doesn’t have time to finish his sentence before Daichi is shoved away from the doorway and a tall blond form practically runs into the room.

Tsukishima rushes to the bed and nearly falls to his knees. He’s crying, the usual cold mask of his completely dropped. 

“Tadashi-” The omega whispers. He reaches a tentative hand out to the unconscious boy. He’s cut off by a sob that practically bursts from his chest, and he presses as close to Yamaguchi as he can without risk of injuring him further. 

Ushijima appears at the door, and apologizes to Daichi for Tsukishima’s actions. 

“It’s fine,” Daichi says. “I’m not going to punish him for it or anything. I understand how much you guys have been through.”

Ushijima nods, and Daichi can tell he’s filled with a mix of rage and worry, practically aching to be at the bedside of one of his mates. Daichi moves to the side so Ushijima can enter, and the alpha moves to the bedside. He drops his hand to cover Tsukishima’s entwined with Yamaguchi’s. 

Daichi stands there for a few minutes, just watching the three mates and seeing the love Tsukishima and Ushijima have for Yamaguchi. After some time, Tsukishima turns his attention to Ushijima, and there’s something pained in Tsukishima’s eyes. 

“He-” Tsukishima’s voice breaks. “He doesn’t smell pregnant…” 

Tsukishima’s eyes turn to Kuroo, a question clear in them. The alpha just shakes his head, and Tsukishima collapses. 

Daichi steps out of the room, closing the door behind him. 

“Hajime,” Daichi calls Iwaizumi the second he’s out of the room, seething. “Call a meeting with everybody in my circle. Have them be here in less than an hour or they can kiss their jobs and their families goodbye.” 

“What’s the meeting about?” Iwaizumi asks, and Daichi can hear Suga’s voice in the background. 

“We need to decide what to do about Kyoto,” Daichi practically growls out. “We have to get to the bottom of this. I’m not letting anybody else lose their lives over this.” 

\----

When Oikawa, Hanamaki, and Matsukawa arrive at the estate, everyone seems to be in a frenzy. The scent of distress filled practically the whole estate. They found Daichi talking to two other alphas in a hallway, just outside a door where a few others are seated inside. When Daichi catches sight of Oikawa and the other two, he sends the alphas he’s talking to into the room and makes his way over.

“Hey,” Daichi sighs, looking more stressed than Oikawa has yet to see him. His hair is much more of a mess than usual, with dark bags under his eyes. Yet he’s still wearing a nice, crisp suit. “What are you doing here?” 

“I just wanted to come with,” Oikawa says. “I thought that maybe I could help?” 

“Do you know anything about Kyoto that could help us?” Daichi asks, shoving his hands in the pockets of his pants. Hanamaki and Matsukawa say a quick “see you later” before stepping into the room and taking a seat. 

“No, I doubt it,” Oikawa says. “But maybe I can help with the omega?” Oikawa wraps his arms around himself. “I’ve dealt with… things like this before. Maybe I can get him to talk?” 

“He’s not awake yet.” Daichi frowns. “But maybe his mates will let you sit in there with him for a while.” 

Oikawa nods, feeling helpful that maybe he’ll be able to do some good. Daichi looks into the room and waves Suga over, who is quick to stand and walk towards them. 

“Can you take Oikawa to the room Yamaguchi is in?” Daichi asks. “Make Tsukishima promise not to bite his head off before you leave him alone, yeah?” 

Suga nods and smiles, starts to lead Oikawa away. Daichi goes to grab Oikawa’s shoulder to stop him for a moment, but he realizes his mistake and pulls back. 

“Sorry,” Daichi says, and Oikawa shakes his head to say it’s fine. “If it’s too much for you in there, just leave, okay? You can hang out in the kitchen downstairs if you want.” 

“Okay,” Oikawa murmurs, and Daichi smiles at him in a way that makes Oikawa’s heart flutter. 

\----

Suga is silent as he leads Oikawa to the room where the injured omega is staying. He seems to understand just how grave the situation is. The door is closed, and Suga knocks, waits a second before pulling it open 

Its a bedroom like the one Oikawa had stayed in when he was here last. The only difference is the almost overwhelming amount of medical equipment that had been moved into the room. 

The omega on the bed his thin and frail, much more than Oikawa. He’s unconscious, and there’s a blond omega - Oikawa quickly recognizes him as the rude blond from the party - sitting on a chair next to the bed. Ushijima is nowhere to be found, and Oikawa figures he went down to meet with the rest of Daichi’s inner circle. 

When the two omegas step into the room, Tsukishima lifts his head to look at them.

There’s a fiery rage in his eyes, one Oikawa quickly recognizes as the look Yahaba has when Oikawa is hurt, the way he looks at anybody who tries to interfere when he’s helping Oikawa. The way Oikawa looked at people who tried to hurt Yahaba when they were younger. 

“What the fuck do you want?’ Tsukisima asks. His eyes are rimmed with red from crying.

“Boss said he could come up and sit with you,” Suga says. “He can help. He has experience with stuff like this.” 

“Like what?” Tsukishima spits. “Like almost losing the one you love? To losing a baby because some sick bastards decided they wanted to hurt you?” his voice gets progressively louder as he speaks, and Oikawa fights the urge to flinch back. Suga doesn’t say anything, and Oikawa finds himself being the one to speak up. 

“I know what it’s like being tormented by the Kyoto syndicate,” Oikawa says, voice stronger than he feels. “I know what it’s like to be taken and hurt and to lose things because of cruel alphas who feel nothing for the ones they hurt.” 

Tsukishima doesn’t say anything, just turns his head back to his unconscious mate. Oikawa glances at Suga. The other omega looks at him with a questioning expression. Oikawa nods, and Suga leaves. 

Oikawa closes the door and walks further into the room. He pulls another chair from the corner of the room up to the bed. 

“I didn’t say you could stay.” Tsukishima mumbles, though his voice is still filled with anger. His pale hand is holding one of Yamaguchi’s frail ones, his thumb rubbing over the marred skin as though he’s trying to bring warmth back into it. 

“You didn’t tell me to leave, either.” Oikawa reminds him. The blond omega just sighs. 

“He’s going to be okay,” Oikawa says after a few moments of silence. “If he’s made it through this much, he’ll make it through whatever comes next.”

“How would you know?” Tsukishima’s eyes don’t move from Yamaguchi, roaming over his face as if looking for any signs of life, as if begging him to wake up.

“I told you,” Oikawa holds in a sigh. “I’ve been through things like what he must have been through. I know how cruel the Kyoto syndicate is,” Oikawa frowns. “To even survive that, you have to be strong.”

“Shibiyama was strong,” Tsukishima spat. “He was strong, but now he's dead.” 

Oikawa musses a hand through his hair. “I'm sure he was.” He watches as Yamaguchi’s hand twitches in Tsukishima’s before his loose grip tightens. He doesn't wake, though, and Oikawa finds himself hoping he stays asleep a little while longer. He looks like he needs the rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment and kudos if you enjoyed it!!


	10. Flash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa is just handing another patron a drink when the door to the club opens. Oikawa raises his gaze to watch the newcomers, and his jaw drops before he can stop himself. There, standing in the doorway, is none other than one of the top Kyoto leaders, and the best friend - if he even could consider that a friend - of Oikawa's father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for another new chapter! Also sorry for the pain you're all about to feel. 
> 
> Leave a comment yelling at me if you like it!

Yamaguchi wakes up for the first time two days later. 

Tsukishima refuses to leave his side, and Ushijima is there for almost all hours of the day. The only time he leaves is to grab food for Tsukishima and himself; He’s stubborn, like any other alpha, and refuses to let one of his omegas starve just because he's too concerned to leave the other’s bedside. 

Oikawa sticks around for an hour or two each day. He talks to Tsukishima, reassures him, but knows that, in the end, none of this is really his business. Yamaguchi wakes up and immediately needs to be consoled by his mates, as he begs them to forgive him for losing the baby, for letting himself be taken. Oikawa leaves, gives them privacy and finds himself wandering downstairs into the kitchen. 

Daichi is there, standing at the stove. When Oikawa walks in the room he turns and sees him, and grins. 

“Hey,” Daichi huffs and gives Oikawa a tired smile. From what Oikawa knows, Daichi hasn't gotten much sleep the last couple days. He's been too busy trying to figure out what to do about Kyoto. “When did you get here?” 

“Suga came and picked me up a few hours ago,” Oikawa says. Daichi is cooking something that smells good. “Yamaguchi just woke up.” 

Daichi nods and sighs, stirring whatever it is that he's cooking. “I hope he's okay,” He frowns. “He's a good kid. Doesn't deserve everything that happened to him.” 

Oikawa steps further into the room, hesitant. The scent Daichi is giving off is irritated, angry. Part of Oikawa wants to walk up and wrap himself around Daichi, scent him and make him happy. 

Oikawa is a little bit scared of that part of himself. He's never wanted to do that for an alpha before. 

Daichi turns off the stove, and plates what looks like scrambled eggs on two separate plates. When Oikawa is offered one, he smiles, and they sit down at the table across from each other. 

“We’re going to move Yamaguchi from the estate,” Daichi says after a while. “It isn't safe with everything going on right now. Those of us who live here are moving somewhere else temporarily.” 

“Where are you going?” Oikawa asks.

“I bought an apartment building in the city after Chikara died,” Daichi explains. “I needed a place away from the rest of the syndicate where nobody could see me when I was in a dark time.” He frowns again, and Oikawa thinks about how much he hates the look of a frown on Daichi's face. In Oikawa's opinion, Daichi should be smiling. Always. “It's guarded heavily by the syndicate and it's now used when someone in the syndicate needs a safe place to stay, and they can't stay here.” 

Oikawa nods, takes a bite of his food and swallows before he speaks. “Will I be able to visit him there? I want to be able to help him, if he wants it.” 

Daichi thinks about it for a moment. “I don't see why not,” He says, then his shoulders slump a little. “Actually, when I first learned about your situation, I considered asking you to move in there.” 

Daichi seems like he expects Oikawa to be mad at him, maybe yell at him about boundaries. But Oikawa just laughs, and there's a slight flush on his cheeks. 

“You did?” Oikawa asks once he gets control over his breathing. “Why?” 

Daichi shrugs, his cheeks red. “I worry about you,” He admits. “The building you live in really isn't safe. I still don't like the thought of you being there alone.” Daichi's eyes widen a little bit, and he almost jumps. “I mean, not that it's any of my business! You can live wherever you want. I just-” He cuts himself off, and sighs, his shoulders slumping.

“It's fine.” Oikawa huffs, feeling more than a little fond for Daichi right now. Even after everything Daichi has done for Oikawa, he still wants to protect him. If Oikawa wasn't so adverse to being touched by an alpha - and still wasn't sure if he was okay with Daichi touching him yet - he probably would have kissed the alpha by now. Especially considering all the things Oikawa does just to make enough money to pay his bills. 

Daichi doesn't say anything for a few moments, just blushes and takes bites from his meal. Oikawa just grins, and then turns back to his own food. 

“What time do you work tonight?” Daichi asks, and Oikawa swallows a bite before he responds. 

“I have to go in at seven to help get ready for opening,” He says. Daichi hums. 

“Can I pick you up after?” Daichi finishes the last bite of his food. “I want to show you the apartment building before we bring Yamaguchi there.” 

Oikawa frowns, and slumps his shoulders. 

“I…” He hesitates, still not really sure how Daichi feels about his work as a prostitute. “I can’t.” He says. “A client of mine paid for the night ahead of time…” Oikawa stiffens his shoulders and ducks his head. He expects Daichi to be jealous or annoyed, to say that he doesn't understand why Oikawa's still working with clients when the two of them decided to get to know each other with the goal of being a couple. He remembers the client that had become so possessive all those years ago, the one that had raped and almost killed him. Then he thinks about the dream where Oikawa walks down that red hallway. He thinks about the night before the party, where the alpha who nearly killed Oikawa turned into Daichi himself. 

Oikawa's hands shake, and he shoves them under the table to hide them. 

Daichi, though, doesn't show any anger, any jealousy. He just looks at Oikawa with concern at the way he stiffens, frowns. 

“Are you sure this client is safe?” Daichi asks, and Oikawa raises his head a little. “What you do isn't my business. I just want to make sure you’ll be okay.” 

Oikawa breathes out a relieved sigh, presses his hands together in his lap and hopes they stop shaking. 

“He's safe,” Oikawa says. “He's been my client for a while. He's never done anything without my permission.” 

Daichi nods and gives a small, almost reassuring smile. 

“You're okay with it, then?” Oikawa asks, just to be sure. “You're okay with the fact that I have sex for money?” 

“Of course,” Daichi assures. “I know that sex work is a legitimate job, and that a lot of people like doing it.” Daichi gets to his feet and rinses his plate at the sink. “I wish you didn't have to do it, since it makes your uncomfortable, but I don't mind. If we were a bonded couple, it would make me a little uncomfortable. But since we aren't even officially courting, it's not my business.” 

Oikawa hums and stares at his plate, though he's no longer really thinking about this conversation. Instead, he's thinking about what it would be like to be bonded with Daichi. Not just the powerful Oyabun most people see him as. But just Daichi; The considerate, friendly, somewhat shy man he really is underneath all that money and ruthlessness. 

Oikawa thinks he might like it. 

\----

“How's Yamaguchi doing?” Yahaba asks that night as they get MOC ready to open. Oikawa is cleaning off the bar with a wet rag, and Yahaba is organizing bottles that had gotten messed up by the other bartenders the night before. 

“Doing as well as one would expect,” Oikawa sighs, feeling more than concerned for the younger omega. “He barely managed to stop crying for more than an hour before he realized just how permanent his injuries are.” 

“Permanent?” Yahaba turns his head and raises a brow at Oikawa. “I thought it was just a few broken bones.” 

Oikawa frowns, holds in a shiver at the thought of what he now knows. 

“I thought so too. But they didn't just beat him enough that he lost the baby. They…” Oikawa has to take a deep breath in order to get the words out, in order to not think about his own past trauma. “They mutilated his reproductive organs, Shigeru.” He turns to the other omega. “It was like they had someone with medical training open him up, cut up his insides, and stitch him back up again! He’ll never be able to birth pups. His heats are going to be absolutely horrid for the rest of his life.” 

Yahaba visibly gulps. “God, that's awful.” He shakes his head. “If I was in the syndicate I would find the son-of-a bitch that did it too him and slice him open myself.” 

Oikawa almost smiles at that confession, knowing how protective Yahaba is of other omega’s, especially ones as sweet and kind as Yamaguchi Tadashi. 

“He has two mates, right?” Yahaba asks. “Another omega?” 

Oikawa nods and sets back to work cleaning the bar. 

“His childhood best friend.” Oikawa explains. “Tsukishima. He’s really petty and kind of stoic, but I can tell he loves Yamaguchi a whole lot. Their alpha, too.” 

“Who’s their alpha?” 

Oikawa hums. “Ushijima Wakatoshi.” 

Yahaba turns to him again. “You mean that old John of yours?” 

Oikawa huffs and nods. “Yeah,” He says. “But me and him stopped meeting up long before he started courting them.” 

Yahaba hums, and they both return to their work. 

The next few hours pass by without incident, thankfully enough. By eleven PM, activity in the club is in full swing. Oikawa is serving drinks left and right, the dancers are all doing their jobs, and they somehow haven't had to kick anybody out yet. 

Of course, that means something is about to go terribly wrong. 

Oikawa is just handing another patron a drink when the door to the club opens. Oikawa raises his gaze to watch the newcomers, and his jaw drops before he can stop himself. There, standing in the doorway, is none other than one of the top Kyoto leaders, and the best friend - if he even could consider that a friend - of Oikawa's father. 

Not only is he here, in Tokyo, with five other men trailing in behind him. But they all have their guns out. They’ve come in here with a purpose. 

“Get down!” Oikawa yells when the first of the shots ring out. He grabs Shigeru and Takeda and pulls them both behind the bar, just as the patron Oikawa had just given a drink to collapses face first onto the bar in a pool of his own blood. 

Oikawa doesn't look, refuses to. He can already smell it, coming from so many different people, so many different bodies falling to the ground. Oikawa doesn't even have the mental strength to look over the counter to see if Suga is okay, to see if anybody he knows is hurt. All he can do is keep his best friend and his boss under the bar and hope that Suga’s bodyguard has a gun. 

Please let him have a gun. 

The gunshots go off for longer than Oikawa could possibly imagine, some coming from the complete other side of the room. Oikawa hopes it means that Ken is fighting back. When the firing ends, Oikawa can only hear the crying of injured people. After a few moments, he tentatively pops his head up over the table. Three of the Kyoto alpha’s men had fallen, and the other two are badly injured. Kyoutani is standing back by his own table. 

“No need to kill my men,” He says, just as Oikawa remembers his name; Nimura. “I just came to send a message to your boss.” 

It's then that Oikawa notices a dark green bag in Nimura’s free hand. Nimura roams his eyes around the club. When they catch on Oikawa, they widen a fraction before his face splits into a psychotic grin. He throws the bag, and it lands on the other side of the bar, right in front of Oikawa, with a loud thud. 

“Tell him Kyoto says hello.” Nimura says. Then he turns, and his two surviving men limp after him out of the club. 

\----

By the time more members of the syndicate arrive, the club is mostly empty. 

Somehow, Oikawa and Kyoutani managed to convince Takeda not to call the cops. Those who were still alive fled, and those who were not remained on the ground. 

Suga - as Oikawa had expected - had taken a shot, but only into his left calf. He sits on top of the counter, not even crying as Kuroo arrives to work on his wound. Iwaizumi is already by Suga’s side, kissing his mate and promising that he will slaughter the man that did this. 

When Daichi arrives, it’s like a bomb goes off. He walks in the doors, strong and ready to handle whatever he has awaiting him. Then, he sees the bag on the ground, which nobody has touched just yet. It hits Oikawa at the same time that it hits Daichi, as the alpha falls to his knees. 

Oikawa immediately rushes over from where he had been talking with Takeda. He doesn't even think about what he's doing as he kneels in front of Daichi, let's the alpha sag against him. 

“Hold it in,” Oikawa whispers. He lifts a hand and sifts it through Daichi's hair, doesn't think about the fact that he's touching Daichi right now. “Don't let them see you like this.” Daichi sniffles, clenches his jaw, and nods. Oikawa helps the alpha stand, drags him out of the main section of the club and into the dressing room where the dancers get ready for their shows. Nobody is in there, and as soon as the door is closed, Daichi falls to his knees and sobs. 

Oikawa wraps his thin arms around Daichi's body, lets the alpha lean against him with his face against Oikawa's shoulder. Oikawa ignores the feeling of his skin tingling wherever Daichi makes contact, ignores the slight discomfort. Daichi needs someone to hold him right now, and Oikawa wants to be that person for him. 

Rough sobs wrack Daichi’s body, and Oikawa holds him tighter. He lets out a soothing scent and nuzzles against the top of Daichi’s head. 

The more Oikawa thinks about it, the more he realizes how awful all this is. 

Not only did the Kyoto syndicate attack somewhere that had nothing to do with the syndicate other than a few members that work there, but that bag.... They went and dug up Ennoshita’s grave, the grave of the Oyabun’s mate, which they had already raped and killed. Then they throw his head in a bag right on the floor, like he was nothing. Like Ennoshita was trash. 

Oikawa doesn't know Ennoshita, never did. But even the thought of everything Kyoto has done makes him want to join Yahaba in his murder spree of Kyoto syndicate members. Ennoshita doesn't deserve this. Daichi doesn't deserve this. 

Oikawa continues to nuzzle against Daichi, murmuring assurances to him and running a hand through his hair as he cries. Oikawa half expects Daichi to force him away, to be mad at Oikawa for trying to soothe him over something that isn't Oikawa's business. But Daichi needs this, right now. He needs Oikawa to hold him, even just to remind Daichi that he’s here. 

Realizing what Kyoto has done- it hasn't just stirred up old painful memories, but it has also brought in new thoughts Daichi hasn't even really considered yet. Like what would happen to Oikawa if Kyoto gets their hands on him, what they would do to him for his closeness to Daichi. 

It makes Daichi want to hide him away and keep him safe where nobody can touch him. 

Daichi forces that thought away, knows that Oikawa wouldn't want such a thing. He just clings to Oikawa's uniform shirt and tries to gather his breathing, tries to gain control of himself. 

Then a new thought occurs to him, and Daichi finds himself filling up with rage. 

Why would the Kyoto syndicate attack a club that has so little to do with Tokyo, just to send a message? Why would they leave all the syndicate members there alive? They could have killed everybody in the time it took Daichi and the others to get there. Suga and Kyoutani would probably be fine, but Kyoto had the time to kill the rest. At least if that’s what they want.

But that isn't what they want, Daichi realizes. 

Most syndicates take down others by taking down their resources, their revenue. They attack warehouses and businesses they own and just generally cause issues with their income. But not Kyoto. They're attacking and hurting the mates of the alpha’s most high up in the syndicate, attacking a business that only matters to a few select members of the syndicate and killing only civilians. 

Daichi knows that taking down civilians draws the attention of law enforcement. Luckily, Kyoto doesn't yet seem aware that the syndicate has almost every officer and investigator in Tokyo on their payroll. If they didn't, there would be an investigation going on with the syndicate being the prime suspects. 

Kyoto is trying to take Tokyo down from the inside. They're taking what's most important to them, and trying to cause outside pressure from law enforcement. They're trying to put as much pressure on the syndicate as possible, so that they can just sit back and watch as it all boils over. 

Daichi won't let that happen.

And just like that, Daichi’s tears stop falling. Now, he’s more angry than anything. He wipes his nose and sits up. Oikawa lets go of him as if he’d been burned, but when Daichi meets his gaze there’s only worry. No anger at Daichi for touching him without him saying he could. 

Daichi apologizes anyways. Oikawa jolts a little and reaches forward. He looks as though he’s about to wipe drying tears from Daichi’s face, but he places the hand overtop of the alpha’s instead. Daichi just stares as Oikawa’s scarred hands make contact with his calloused one, watches the contrast of their skin tones. 

“It’s okay,” Oikawa says, though Daichi knows Oikawa is still uncomfortable with the contact. But the omega is still trying to soothe him in his hard time. Oikawa huffs, his eyes flashing with anger and his scent flaring. “Those fuckers are going to pay for what they’re doing to us.” 

Daichi’s breath halts. “Us?”

“They disrespected Ennoshita’s grave, which means they disrespected you,” Oikawa says. “I care for you, and I won’t stand for it.” 

Daichi feels his cheeks heat up a bit, and he gulps. He gets to his feet to keep himself from practically leaping forward and kissing Oikawa right here right now.

“Besides,” Oikawa says, standing up too. “I know the man who led the attack. Nimura Yoru. He was my father’s closest friend.”

“You have information on him that could help?” Oikawa nods, grabs a wipe from the packet sitting in front of one of the mirrors. He uses it to carefully wipe at Daichi’s cheeks and eyes.

“It might be a bit outdated,” He admits. “But I have some info I think might be useful…” 

Daichi smiles at the omega, though it's a little strained. As they walk out of the room, Daichi plasters back on his serious Oyabun expression. 

They're halfway down the hallway when he realizes that Oikawa is still holding his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! leave a comment or kudos if you enjoyed!


End file.
